EOC General Assembly to discuss next European Games

18 November 2015 17:59 (UTC+04:00)

1 048

By Nigar Orujova

The next General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee in Prague will discuss the second European Games, the Youth and Sport Ministry reported.

The 44th session of the NOC will open in the Czech Republic on November 19.

Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov will report at the General Assembly on the outcome of the first European Games successfully held in Azerbaijan in June.

Rahimov will inform the participants about the Baku 2015 Games that were held at a high level, setting the plank for the next competition. The host country of the European Games 2019 is still unclear.

The meetings of the Assembly are also expected to hear addresses of organizing committees on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Summer Olympics and the Winter Olympics, preparations for the Summer Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in 2018, Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 2016.

The General Assembly that will work until November 21 will bring together EOC President Patrick Hickey, IOC President Thomas Bach, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, and others.

The European Games kicked off in Baku on June 12 and lasted 17 days. It hosted 20 elite sports, 16 of which were Olympics, while 12 were licensed for the Rio 2016 Olympics. Over 6,000 athletes represented European countries at Baku 2015.

The Operating Committee of the Baku 2015 employed over 2,500 people, and more than 12,000 volunteers. The inaugural Games were covered by more than 1,200 media representatives.

Azerbaijan ranked second for the number of medals won at Baku 2015, with a total of 56 medals – 21 gold, 15 silver, and 20 bronze medals. Russia took the lead for the number of medals with 79 gold, 40 silver, and 45 bronze medals. The UK ranked third by winning 18 gold, 10 silver, and 19 bronze medals.

A survey that covered over 150,000 young people reveled that eighty percent of respondents believe that the Games have played a positive role in promoting Azerbaijan.

Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’ staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar