Estonian NOC News
15 Jan 2024 - Find here the latest news from the National Olympic Committee: events, courses, general assemblies and elections, trophies and much more.
**15 January 2024 - **Swimmer Eneli Jefimova and decathlete Karel Tilga have been named Estonian Athletes of the Year 2023, while swimming coach Henry Hein has taken the Coach of the Year prize and the women’s volleyball team has won the award for the Team of the Year. The winners were revealed at the annual gala event in the presence of the President of the Republic, Alar Karis, and NOC President Urmas Sõõrumaa. This year, the gala was held to celebrate the NOC’s 100th anniversary. Full details here.
18 december 2023 - The NOC celebrated its 100-year anniversary on 8 December. The festive day began with the Estonian flag being raised early in the morning. Two-time Olympic champion Kristina Šmigun-Vähi, the first medallist from newly independent Estonia Indrek Sei, and NOC President Urmas Sõõrumaa raised the flag at Pikk Hermann Tower in Tallinn. A ceremony was held at the Town Hall in the presence of Olympic champions and guests, including European Olympic Committees President and IOC Member Spyros Capralos, Finnish Olympic Committee President Jan Vapaavuori and Latvian Olympic Committee General Secretary Kārlis Lejnieks. The keynote speech was given by the President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis. More details here.
24 september 2021 - The Estonian NOC has announced the death of two-time Olympic medallist Jüri Tamm (photo) at the age of 64. He won bronze in the hammer throw at the Olympic Games Moscow 1980 and Seoul 1988, competing for the Soviet Union. He also won a silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Rome in 1987. After his competitive sports career, he turned to sports administration at national and international level. He was an Executive Committee member and Vice-President of the Estonian NOC, as well as Chair of the Athletes’ Commission and the European Affairs Commission of the European Olympic Committees. More info at www.eok.ee and www.eurolympic.org.
28 june 2021 - The official competition apparel for the Estonian Olympic athletes for Tokyo 2020 was recently unveiled. The following athletes served as the models: wrestler Epp Mäe, hurdler Rasmus Mägi, rowers Allar Raja, Kaspar Taimsoo, Jüri-Mikk Udam and Tõnu Endrekson, long jumper Ksenija Balta, decathlete Janek Õiglane, heptathlete Grit Šadeiko, marathon runner Roman Fosti and badminton player Kristin Kuuba. The casual wear was also shown. More info here on the Estonian NOC’s website.
11 September 2020 - The Estonian Olympic Committee celebrated the 100th anniversary of Estonia’s first Olympic victory. It was at the Olympic Games Antwerp 1920 that Estonian athletes won the country’s first Olympic medals. They were weightlifter Alfred Neuland, the country’s first Olympic champion; marathon athlete Jüri Lossmann, silver medallist; and weightlifter Alfred Schmidt, silver medallist. The NOC organised a commemorative event in the Tallinn Botanic Garden during which a congratulatory message from the IOC President was read. To celebrate this historical event, the Post Office of Estonia issued a themed silver stamp, and the “VII Olympic Games. Antwerp 1920” book was presented by its author Tiit Lääne. Full info here.
27 january 2020 - Javelin thrower Magnus Kirt (right in photo), freestyle skier Kelly Sildaru (left), and rally team Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja were named Estonian Athletes of the Year 2019 in their respective categories. The Estonian Athletes of the Year were decided based on votes cast by sports journalists, the public and sports associations. The winners were revealed at the annual "Stars of the Sports Year" ("Spordiaasta Tähed") gala event organised by the Estonian Olympic Committee. The event was held in front of an 1,800-strong audience and was broadcast live on national television. More info here.
20 december 2018 - At the 9th Estonian Sports Forum, the Estonian NOC presented plans to establish a new elite sports programme: Team Estonia. The programme, which will be launched in 2019, aims to improve the competitive position of Estonian elite sport and increase the number of medals won in international championships. Team Estonia is a joint project developed by the NOC and the Estonian Ministry of Culture. At the Forum, the NOC also presented proposals on how to promote sport for all and regular physical activity among Estonian children and young people, with a view to achieving the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommended target of 60 minutes of physical activity per day. The President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, delivered the opening address at the Forum, which is organised by the Estonian NOC every four years. More details here.
6 November 2018 - The Estonian NOC has just launched the “TOGETHER – Our Champions” campaign, which celebrates athletes who won national titles in 2018, on the 100th anniversary of Estonia. The focus of the campaign is on the unique national championships medals designed especially for the Estonian centenary, and in total over 22,000 medals will be awarded to athletes of all sports at Estonian championships this year across various age divisions. The medal design, which was chosen in a national vote, depicts Estonia’s national tree – the oak – symbolising national character, traditions and continuity. More details here.
30 October 2018 - The Estonian Olympic Committee presented the renovated Olympic cauldron from the 1980 Olympic sailing regatta at the Tallinn Olympic Sailing Centre. The Olympic flame was re-ignited there by Vaiko Vooremaa, the sailing athlete who lit the Olympic flame in 1980, and 13-year-old Angeliina Maria Isabel Õunap, gold medallist at the 2018 Zoom8 Sailing World Championships. Also present were Urmas Sõõrumaa, NOC President, and Mihhail Kõlvart, Chairman of the Tallinn City Council and member of the NOC Executive Committee. The renovation of the cauldron was supported by Olympic Solidarity. More info here. In addition, the NOC organised for the fourth time the European Week of Sport, in collaboration with the Estonian Sport for All Association. In total, 890 fitness-related events and activities were organised and over 170,000 participants were registered within eight days. The European Week of Sport is an initiative by the European Commission that aims to increase people’s awareness of sport and the amount of physical activity practised throughout the European Union. More info here.