Valletta, 28 May this is the third time that the NOC of Malta hosts the annual EOC Seminar. As of yesterday and through till Saturday, the 200 representatives of the 49 NOCs of Europe will be discussing the major issues of concern to the Olympic and Sports Movement, and in particular the debriefing for the recent Vancouver Games, preparations for the now imminent inaugural Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, and the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The Seminar opened on Thursday afternoon in the presence of EOC President Patrick Hickey, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi and the members of the Executive Committee, who had held their 2nd meeting of the year that morning.

The Honourable Clyde Puli, the Maltese Governments Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, opened proceedings at the Opening Ceremony together with Maltese NOC President Lino Farrugia Sacco.

This year, the EOC Seminar was organised jointly with the IOC Olympic Solidarity Forum. The Forum provides NOCs with a follow-up to the Olympic Congress held in Copenhagen last October, with a reflection on three themes that are of great importance to the Olympic Movement: autonomy, good governance, and arbitration and mediation in sport.

In his introductory report, EOC Secretary General Raffaele Pagnozzi underlined the need for European NOCs to take measures so as to preserve European supremacy in medal rankings.

Taking advantage of the fact that many of its members were at the Seminar, the International Committee for the Mediterranean Games also had a meeting in Malta, chaired by ICMG President Amar Addadi.