Today the home of modern Olympics, Athens host the milestone 50th General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees (EOC).
The day before the event, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, who is also the Head of EFC, met with representatives of 10 Fencing NFs and NOCs of the region present to elevate the sport of fencing in those countries and beyond. In a wide-ranging meeting, participants started by discussing the lessons learned during the pandemic, highlighting how the EFC used digital technologies to bridge the communications gap.
President Pozdnyakov continued to talk about event calendars at national, zonal and international levels, explaining that whilst the EFC would be ready to hold the senior zonal championships in the autumn, the situation was less clear in the other zones.
Continuing to look forward, President Pozdnyakov outlined three new development approaches. The first, an evolution of the current programmes, focused on a global approach to overall improvement in training, coach & referee development, infrastructure and administration – the ultimate goal being to create a “quality product”. He also stressed the need to continue to support veterans of fencing.
He explained that the second and third development approaches comprised of targeted projects aimed at sub-regional (i.e. groups of NFs based on close needs and mid-term goals) and national level with the assistance of funding from the EU and national governments as well as from non-government sector.
President and all participants also stressed the importance to further promote educational projects and increase their accessibility for the growing number of NFs representatives.
After that Stanislav Pozdnyakov informed the colleagues on the progress of preparations for the 3-rd European Games / Krakow & Malopolska 2023. Fencing set to be featuring in the event for the first time ever as the European Championships and Olympic qualification tournament for 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
It was particularly highlighted that LOC supported the EFC President’s proposal not to limit the number of fencers, thus providing athletes from each and every EFC member-federation to really feel as an Olympian – taking part in the Games under the IOC patronage.
The floor was then given to the attendees to offer their ideas and share the experience and proposals. The meeting concluded with a discussion about good governance and sustainability, and how that could only be achieved with aligned strategies and joint efforts.
