The European Olympic Committees (EOC) is gradually returning to full speed after months of disruption brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Head Office in Rome reopened in May, welcoming back staff who are once again working on a full-time basis. On 6 July, EOC Acting President Niels Nygaard visited the headquarters for the first time since taking over the role from President Janez Kocijančič, who passed away on 1 June.

Nygaard commended the team for their excellent work during the lockdown period, in particular for helping the EOC leadership adapt seamlessly to the new technological realities of conducting business under COVID-19 restrictions.

On 1 July, Nygaard became the first guest since the lockdown began in March to visit the Olympic House in Lausanne. There he met with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach to discuss matters of mutual interest relating to sport in Europe.

The EOC remains firmly committed to assisting the European National Olympic Committees during the pandemic, which, while appearing to improve in many countries across the continent, remains a considerable hindrance to the resumption of most sports in Europe.

To assist the European Olympic family in this time of crisis, the EOC recently distributed a lump sum of USD 25,000 to each ENOC and is preparing to allocate another USD 1.55 million from the ANOC Tokyo 2020 fund to ENOCs most affected by the pandemic. The resources have been shared to help stabilize operations until the sports world returns to normal.

Looking ahead, an EOC delegation led by Nygaard will visit Kraków and the Małopolska region of Poland from 26-29 July to meet with the organisers of the 3^rd edition of the European Games in 2023 and discuss preparations.

The EOC staff is also working in close collaboration with the hosts of the European Youth Olympic Winter Festival in Vuokatti, Finland, which is scheduled to be the first Olympic event post-COVID when it is organized from 6 to 13 February next year.

Progress updates and information on other EOC activities are set to be tabled at the next EOC Executive Board meeting, to be held online on 23 July.

Photo courtesy of Greg Martin – IOC