The Montenegrin Olympic Committee is participating in the European project STRONG – Supporting the Implementation of Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities in National Olympic Committees, coordinated by the EOC EU Office and co-financed by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ Programme.
The first partners’ meeting of the project was held in Brussels on 21–22 January, bringing together representatives of 15 National Olympic Committees, including the Montenegrin Olympic Committee, as well as representatives of the academic community and the International Olympic Committee.
The STRONG project will run for two years and aims to enhance the implementation of the international standard on athletes’ rights and responsibilities within European organised sport, with a particular focus on National Olympic Committees. The project focuses on strengthening the capacities of both NOC staff and athletes, with academic support from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
The central part of the meeting focused on the international standard of athletes’ rights and responsibilities, through discussions based on the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Declaration. Representatives of the IOC Athletes’ Department, Karen Dolphin and Charlène Tordjmann, spoke about the importance of this document and its application within national sports systems. The athletes’ perspective was further presented by the Chair of the EOC Athletes’ Commission, Johanna Talihärm.
During the meeting, participants exchanged experiences through group work on national practices related to athletes’ rights, identified key strengths and challenges within their sports systems, and defined the expected outcomes of the STRONG project in the areas of governance, non-discrimination, athlete representation and active engagement.
Key tasks and planned project outputs were also presented, including a status quo analysis, a pool of concrete actions, a stakeholder perceptions report, a European Framework for Athletes’ Rights and Responsibilities, an educational programme, a national mentoring programme, and organisational strategies for National Olympic Committees.
The second day of the meeting was dedicated to research activities to be carried out by researchers from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
By participating in the STRONG project, the Montenegrin Olympic Committee reaffirms its commitment to strengthening athletes’ rights, enhancing their role within the sports system, and aligning national practices with international and European standards.
