Rome, November 24, 2015 – With regard to the statement issued by the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Central and Southern Europe in support of Budapest 2024, the European Olympic Committees (EOC) wishes to make the following points to clarify the situation:

• The NOCs of Central and Southern Europe is not an officially recognised organisation within the EOC.
• The EOC does not endorse the statement. With four outstanding 2024 candidate cities from Europe, the EOC will remain neutral at all times.
• All IOC Members vote as individuals in a secret ballot and the IOC does not permit IOC Members to discuss publicly how they will vote in advance of any election.
• It is clear that IOC Members who could be associated with this statement were not consulted in advance of the announcement being made, therefore it is not appropriate to imply that IOC Members from the region will follow the guidance from the statement.

With the 2024 Candidature Process at such an early stage, the EOC urges all member nations to respect the IOC guidelines for the process in the months ahead. In this way, the IOC can fairly elect the best possible host city for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.