European Athletics is saddened to learn that European Olympic Committee President Janez Kocijancic died at the age of 78 on Monday (1).
The European Olympic Committee said he died in Ljubljana after “a sudden and severe disease”.
'On behalf of all at European Athletics, I wish to express our sincerest condolences with the European Olympic family after receiving the news of the death of the EOC President Janez Kocijancic,' commented European Athletics Interim President Dobromir Karamarinov.
'Janez was a good friend to European Athletics and we had a close working relationship with him, especially with regards to the European Games of which athletics is an important part. He will be sorely missed by all of us,' he added.
The Slovenian had been a long-term official at the EOC, joining the Executive Board in 2005. He later served as EOC Vice President from 2013 to 2016, before becoming Acting President in 2016 and Kocijancic was elected EOC President unopposed in 2017.
He was the first president of Slovenia’s Olympic Committee upon independence in 1991 for 23 years, and a council member of the International Ski Federation since 1981.
Kocijancic was also active in politics; a government minister in the former Yugoslavia, and a member of parliament after Slovenia’s independence.
His EOC presidency included the second European Games n Minsk, Belarus last June, which saw a significant presence by European Athletics with the inauguration of Dynamic New Athletics (DNA).
European Athletics would like to extend its condolences to Janez Kocijancic family and friends at this sad time.