EOC celebrates peace and unity at official ceremony of Gyr EYOF 2017

Ceremony entitled ‘Shine in the name of Peace’ marks final stage on journey to EYOF 2017

Rome, Italy; 23 May 2017: 23 May 2017: An official ceremony marking the final stage

in the journey to the 2017 European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) took place in Rome

on Monday night, as the European Olympic Committees (EOC), Hungarian Olympic

Committee, and Györ EYOF 2017 Organising Committee came together to celebrate

the peace and unity which will be showcased throughout the event.

The ceremony took place at the historic Ara Pacis Museum – home to the ninth century

Ara Pacis altar which is dedicated to peace. The milestone event was attended by up to

100 senior European delegates, including EOC Acting President Janez Kocijančič;

President of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) Giovanni Malago; IOC Member

Mario Pescante; ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti; and EOC Secretary General

Raffaele Pagnozzi. Representatives from Hungary included President of the Hungarian

Olympic Committee Krisztián Kulcsár; and Zsolt Borkai, President of the Györ EYOF 2017

Organising Committee and Mayor of Györ.

During the ceremony, the Acting President Kocijančič presented President Kulcsár with

The Dea Pax Golden Olive Tree, to mark the peace and friendship between the two

organisations. The Olive Tree was considered sacred by Dea Pax, the ancient Goddess

of Peace, and the symbolic sculpture, made by the renowned sculptor and goldsmith,

Nicola Amato, was designed in homage to these values.

Speaking during the ceremony, EOC Acting President Janez Kocijančič said:

"It is a great honour to have the privilege to stage the first official ceremony for the

European Youth Olympic Festival here in this amazing Roman temple dedicated to

peace. Our basic idea was to bring together the ideas of peace and youth. Peace and

the Olympic Values should be core attributes in young people and we need to do all we

can to promote that.

"The EYOF was established by the former IOC President Jacques Rogge more than a

quarter of a century ago as he recognised the importance of investing in youth. Europe

is the leading continent in world sport but to maintain this we have to make sure we

continue to invest time and resources in our young people. EYOF provides young

people with invaluable experience to become the future glory of Europe."

The torch of the EYOF, which will burn in Györ’s ETO FC Stadium throughout the festival,

was presented during the ceremony by five distinguished Hungarian athletes to Acting

President Kocijančič who in turn presented it to President Borkai, as a symbol of the

sacred fire which lights the spirits of the young athletes. The torch and the Olive Tree

will now be taken to Györ where they will remain until the end of the festival before

returning to the EOC headquarters in Rome.

Speaking at the ceremony, President of CONI, Giovanni Malago said:

"It is a real pleasure to be here in Rome, in this unique place to host the ceremony for

the European Youth Olympic Festival. The journey for the EYOF has officially begun and

we look forward to taking part it in the festival in July. I am sure Györ will host a fantastic

event."

President of the Hungarian Olympic Committee Krisztian Kulcsar added:

"On behalf of the Hungarian Olympic Committee it is a great privilege to be here in

Rome to receive the Oliver Tree and EYOF torch and to take it back with us to Hungary.

As NOC President my most important role is to spread the values of Olympism and

strengthen the Olympic Movement. For our young athletes, the EYOF 2017 will be their

first experience of a multi-sport event, their first experience of enjoying the

atmosphere of the athletes’ village and their first experience of supporting and

cheering on their compatriots from other sports. It is one of the most important events

for young athletes and will form the basis of their future careers."

President of the Györ EYOF 2017 Organising Committee and Mayor of Györ, Zsolt

Borkai, concluded:

"We have been waiting six years for this moment to come. We committed ourselves to

hosting the event in 2011 and since then we have been working hard to make the event

as successful as possible. The EYOF can develop a generation who represent the future.

In July we could watch the future champions of Europe but even those athletes who do

not achieve great success will become ambassadors of sport and healthy lifestyles. In

July we’d like to provide an outstanding and unforgettable experience for everyone."

To conclude the ceremony, the Musicanova choir performed a song composed for the

EOC entitled ‘Shine’. The EYOF will shine a light on young athletes throughout Europe

and give them an opportunity to showcase their talent on the international stage. The

new EOC logo and look and feel has also been developed around the concept of a

shining diamond made up of 50 pieces representing the 50 NOCs of the Olympic Family

of Europe.

-Ends-

For more information:

Contact: David Green

Email: David@jtassocs.com

Phone: +44 (0) 7557 435314

Notes to Editors:

The EOC is an international non-governmental not-for-profit organisation whose

objective is to propagate the fundamental principles of Olympism at a European level.

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