Kiev, 8th October 2014 EOC President Patrick Hickey was in Kiev yesterday at the General Assembly of the Olympic Committee of Ukraine at which Sergey Bubka was re-elected unopposed (108 votes to 1) President of Ukrainian NOC for a third consecutive four-year term.
“I would like to congratulate Sergey Bubka on his re-election and wish him all the best in this new term as NOC President ,” Hickey said adding, “I have followed Bubka’s career for years and have always been impressed with his clear vision and ability to achieve success in the most difficult circumstances. I am confident that he will continue effectively to lead the country’s Olympic movement during this difficult time for Ukraine”.
“I am humbled and honoured”, said Bubka. “I am very thankful to the Olympic movement of Ukraine for the trust they put in me. A lot has been achieved in the past years and the Ukrainian NOC is committed to further developing Olympic sports and help Ukrainian athletes successfully compete at an international level”.
Bubka immediately pledged to strengthen youth involvement in sport and to build on sport as a means of promoting the Olympic values of sportsmanship, respect and unity in Ukraine.
Ex-world heavyweight champion in boxing Vitaliy Klitshko, the Mayor of Kyiv and Ukraine NOC Vice-President, who was also present, added, “I would like to say that there is no other alternative to the man who is a symbol, a legend, a person which people respect not only in Ukraine but around the world, to my President, Sergey Bubka.”
Among some of Bubka’s achievements are a National Olympic Day, the Olympic Stork, which provides Olympic-themed education to more than 250,000 classes in schools across the country, televised annual awards and an Olympic Academy.
Sergey Bubka is a Vice-President of International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Executive Board member of International Olympic Committee (IOC).