Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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The 8th Forum and Assembly of European Athletes was held in London, the capital of the United Kingdom, Azernews reports.

The forum aims to bring together representatives of the Athletes' Commissions of 49 European National Olympic Committees, both in-person and online, to discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by athletes.

After presentations explaining the roles of Athletes' Commissions and the support they receive through Olympic Solidarity from the European Olympic Committee (EOC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), athletes participated in several breakout sessions throughout the day.

The primary focus of these sessions was on preventing competition manipulation, how Athletes' Commissions can effectively use social media, as well as discussions on the IOC's "Fit For The Future" process and the World Anti-Doping Agency's Athletes' Council.

Later, in a video message, IOC President Kristy Coventry emphasised that the athletes' voice has never been as strong within the Olympic Movement:

"It was a great pleasure to meet many of you at the last International Athletes Forum. The energy in that room showed that the athletes' voice has never been stronger than it is today. That's why events like this Forum are so important. This space is for you to speak up, share your ideas, and ensure your voice is heard on the issues that matter most to you. Together, we can shape a stronger future for our Olympic Movement."

EOC President Spiros Kapralos noted that the representation of former athletes within the Olympic Movement, including significant participation in the EOC Executive Committee, has greatly increased, playing a crucial role:

"Compared to my time as an Olympian, today's athletes are at the centre of the Olympic Movement. In everything we do, we consider the athletes."

After reports and information about commissions and candidates, representatives for the Athletes' Commissions of the European Olympic Committees for both summer and winter sports were selected.

At the Assembly, Azerbaijan was represented by Rafiq Huseynov, a member of the National Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission, an Olympic medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling, and a world and European champion. He was among 18 candidates from Europe for membership in the commission.