The 40th EOC Seminar, which took place in Vienna 18 -19 May, was of high interest for the NOCs of Europe. The new format of the EOC Seminar, ushered by EOC President Janez Kocijančič and EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi, received a very positive feedback from the European sports delegates.

In a very interactive and relaxed atmosphere, top level panellists discussed a range of important themes: from the European Model of Sport to the necessary actions for a gender balanced future, from the future of commercialisation in sport to the growth of urban sports.

Notable speakers included ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti and Sport Accord/GAISF President Raffaele Chiulli, IOC Deputy Director General for Relations with the Olympic Movement Pere Miró and IOC Director of the NOC Relations Department and Olympic Solidarity James Macleod.

The list of panellists also saw high-ranking professors from the most important European Universities. The Technical panel “High Performance and New Technologies in Sport” gathered Prof Carlo Castagna from Rome University, Prof Magni Mohr from University of Southern Denmark and Prof Koen Lemmink from University of Groningen department – Center for human movement sciences. They explained the physiological performance in elite team sport, focusing on the use of technology in tracking, testing and training, as well as outlined the connection between science and sports practice.

Whereas, in keeping with the commitment to gender equality in sport, there was an unparalleled group of female sports administrators, which featured IOC Executive Board Member/ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg and IOC Member/EOC Executive Committee Member Daina Gudzinevičiūtė and IOC 2019 Women and Sport Trophy Gender Equality Advocates for Europe Morana Palikovic Gruden.

Next EOC Seminar will be held in Samorin, Slovakia at the x-bionic sphere in spring 2020.