Baku Tipped for Olympics, Kosovo for IOC - On the Scene

(ATR) European Olympic CommitteespresidentPatrick Hickey tells Around the Rings he is looking forward to Kosovo athletes competing at the Baku European games.

On Thursday, the EOC executive committee approved Kosovo’s application for full membership of the IOC. There were two officials from the Kosovo Olympic Committee at the EOC assembly in Baku in an observer capacity.

Last month, the IOC Executive Board decided to provisionally recognize the KOC, which was founded in 1992. This puts Kosovo on course to compete at Baku 2015 and in its first Olympics at Rio 2016. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

Hickey told Around the Rings he expects the IOC Session convening in Monaco next month to vote in favor of granting full recognition for Kosovo, making it the EOC’s 50th member nation and the world’s 205th NOC.

"It’s great for the athletes of Kosovo," he said of their expected participation at Baku 2015.

"They have been denied international competition and they have some great athletes. They have a judoka who had to fight for Albania at the London Games and she is a world champion, and they have many more like that," he added.

"It’s very good for the EOC, it’s very good for the IOC and for Kosovo and once again shows how sport can be ahead of the politicians in areas like this."

Baku Tipped for Olympic Bid

The Azeri media turned out in force for a press conference that followed the conclusion of the EOC assembly.

EOC president Pat Hickey and Chingiz Huseynzade, vice-president of the Azerbaijan NOC, addressed around 40 written and broadcast media. There were only three international reporters present.

Questions focused on the inaugural European Games.

Hickey said the EOC was "extremely happy" with the state of preparations, noting the usual seven-year lead-in to an Olympics. "What BEGOC [the organizing committee] is doing is extraordinary. It’s all being telescoped into two-and-a-half years," he said.

"This city well positioned to bid for the Olympic Games," the IOC executive board member said, adding that they had a strong chance of success.

"Not a doubt, when a city hosts the European Games it puts it in a great position to bid for the Olympics. They have the infrastructure in place and the personnel are trained."

One Azeri journalist queried whether the Baku European Games would attract the best athletes.

Hickey said European NOCs and athletes "have shown they wish to have a very strong and powerful European Games. We are determined to have the best athletes here… we are getting huge support from the NOCs."

Hickey also reconfirmed that Armenia would participate in the European Games, following "pleasant negotiations" with the NOC of Armenia several weeks ago.

Huseynzade was asked by ATR what the challenges have been for Baku and Azerbaijan. "We didn’t have enough expertise and experience," he responded. "We had to work very hardand did invest in very good experts to hold this event at the highest level."

He referred a question about the costs of venues and infrastructure for Baku 2015 to BEGOC, who could not confirm the estimated spend.

Resolution Backs Agenda 2020

The EOC membership approved a resolution declaring its full support for the 40 recommendations in Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC’s strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement.

Lessons for 2022 Bids

Almaty and Beijing had observer status at the assembly and did not make presentations. Oksana Rizanenko, head of the Almaty 2022 PR and marketing department, was the single delegate from the Kazakhstan bid. The Beijing Winter Games bid was represented by Zuo Zhiyong and a colleague. The deputy secretary general of the Chinese Olympic Committee is director of external relations for the 2022 candidate city.

Asked about the benefits for Beijing 2022 of attending the EOC assembly, Zuo said: "We just take it in and we learn to improve information in our bid."

An Almaty 2022 statement said: "For us the EOC Assembly in Baku is an event of knowledge and experience for preparation of the big and unique international sport event [Baku 2015] of our neighbor state. The reports we heard are of the greatest importance for our bid."

Rizanenko said Almaty 2022 will appoint an international PR company in late January or February.

No Madrid European Games

Victor Sanchez, secretary general of the Spanish Olympic Committee, tells Around the Rings the Spanish capital was not interested in bidding for a European Games. Six bidders are vying to secure hosting rights for the 2019 edition.

Madrid has failed with three consecutive Olympic bids. If the city bids again, Sanchez said, "the only Games we will bid for is the Olympics".

Mascot Monday

The launch ofmascots forBaku 2015 Nov 24 is the same day Rio 2016 unveils its own mascot. The mascot ceremony for the first European Games will take place at the Maiden Tower an iconic 12th century building in the Old City of Baku. It coincides with the 200-day milestone to the Games next June.

Later on Monday, the mascots for the Rio 2016 Games will make their first public appearance at the Ginásio Experimental Olímpico in Santa Teresa.

2019 European Youth Olympic Festivals

Erzurum, a city in eastern Turkey, will stage the 2019 Winter European Youth Olympic Festival. Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, will host the summer edition of the EYOF the same year. Both were the sole candidates for the EYOFs.

Prague Next for EOC

The 2015 EOC general assembly will take place in Prague next November. Dates are still to be confirmed.

Reported in Baku by Mark Bisson

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