Olympic Movement strengthens EU ties 

The European commissioner in charge of sport, Ján Figel', met Olympic Movement representatives in Lausanne last week, in the first of a series of meetings to be organised on a regular basis with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

During the meeting, which was hosted by the IOC, Figel' confirmed the EU's respect for the "autonomous and self-regulatory character of sports organisations" and said future dialogue between the EU and the sports world would take account of the international "pyramid structure" of sport. 

Together with other sports governing bodies, such as FIFA, the IOC welcomed the reference to sport in the Lisbon Treaty, saying it represented "an opportunity to strengthen the role of sport in Europe and the structures through which it performs". However, it also makes explicit reference to the autonomy of sports regulatory bodies, guaranteeing their sovereignty in deciding rules.

Other topics addressed included sports financing and betting and the fight against doping, as well as the application of EU competition law and of free movement principles in the field of sport.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said sports organisations need the support of the EU "to tackle challenges like doping, irregular betting, racism and violence and to safeguard the specificity of sports structures and sporting rules". 

Commissioner Figel' said he was pleased that "the profile of sport has increased in the minds of government policymakers and stakeholders," in particular following last November's EU Sport Forum, and underlined the importance of "sustaining this momentum". 

As part of IOC's desire for closer relations with the EU executive, its European region representative, the European Olympic Committee (EOC) opened an office in Brussels earlier this year.