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On May 6, 1875, the Hungarian Athletic Club – the country’s oldest multisport club – hosted Hungary’s very first outdoor sporting event.

With the assistance of EMCA and its wide-reaching network, a memorable international basketball encounter recently took place in Paris.

EMCA member NPC Rieti played a pivotal role in arranging a friendly basketball match for one of its affiliated clubs, NPC Colombia, as part of an ongoing exchange program focused on youth sports development and cross-cultural collaboration.

The NPC Colombia girls’ team, which travels to Europe several times a year, participates in training sessions and development programs under the guidance of NPC Rieti coaches. These visits aim to elevate both the individual and team skills of the athletes, helping them gain exposure to European basketball standards.

As part of this effort, a friendly match was organized in Paris against the Paris Université Club girls’ team. The game not only offered competitive experience to the Colombian players but also symbolized the strong bonds being fostered through EMCA’s network of cooperation.

This initiative forms part of a broader collaboration plan, with similar friendly games being prepared for the male NPC Colombia team in the near future, strengthening EMCA’s mission to unite communities through sport.

📸 Check out the photos from this inspiring encounter below.

20 March 2025, Costa Navarino (GRE) – IOC (International Olympic Committee) has a new President – Kirsty Coventry from Zimbabwe! First ever female president and first candidate from Africa in the history of IOC!

“At a time when our world is so divided, the Olympic Movement can help bridge gaps, build back trust and showcase the best of humanity”, she said.

EMCA congratulates the new IOC President and supports strongily her message of the importance that the Olympic and sport movement should play in the polarised and violent global political stage.

Regarding her past, Coventry went on to compete in five Olympic Games, winning seven medals, including two gold, making her Africa’s most decorated Olympian. But it was out of the pool where she made the biggest splash of all. On 20 March 2025, Coventry was elected the 10th President of the International Olympic Committee at the 144th IOC Session in Costa Navarino, Greece. At the age of 41, she became the first woman and first African chosen to lead the 131-year-old organisation.

Since its founding in 1894, the IOC had been headed by nine men – eight Europeans and one American. Coventry, only the second woman ever to run for the post, prevailed over six other candidates in the first round with 49 out of 97 votes. “It is a really powerful signal we are truly global and evolved into an organisation open to diversity,” she said.

Born on 16 September 1983 in Harare, Coventry learned to swim at age 2, taught by her mother and grandfather. She joined her first swimming club at 6 and quickly developed a competitive streak. Without indoor pools, she played other sports in winter, including field hockey, cross-country, and tennis, but swimming remained her passion.

Coventry’s big breakthrough came four years later in Athens, where she won three medals, including Zimbabwe’s first individual Olympic gold in the 200m backstroke. “Standing on the podium was quite surreal,” she said. “I was thinking back to when I was 9 years old. I was now nearly 21 and realised I had finally achieved my goal and my dream.”

Returning to Zimbabwe, she was met with a rapturous hero’s welcome, a powerful symbol at a time when the country was torn by internal strife. “Zimbabweans came out to thank me and say, ‘We’re so proud.’ It showed me how powerful sport can be to break down barriers and bring people together.”

It was a memory that shaped Coventry’s IOC presidential campaign, a message she shared in her presentation to members in January. “The transformative power of sport – that’s not just something I’ve said, but I’ve actually lived it and seen it. And I believe in it,” she said.

Statement by EMCA President Christina Tsiligkiri:

“The election of Kirsty Coventry as President of the International Olympic Committee marks a historic milestone not only for the Olympic Movement but for the entire global sports community. As the first woman and the first African to assume the IOC presidency, Coventry symbolizes the power of inclusion, progress, and hope.

Her personal journey – from the Olympic pools to the highest level of international sports leadership – is living proof that sport can transform lives, societies, and mindsets. EMCA firmly supports her vision of sport as a unifying force that bridges divides and strengthens social cohesion.

Having a woman in such a high-ranking leadership position sends a powerful message about the direction global sport must take: toward genuine equality, inclusion, and the recognition of women’s contributions at all levels. Kirsty Coventry’s election inspires and encourages new generations of women to actively pursue decision-making roles and stands as a beacon for all of us who believe in the transformative power of sport as a catalyst for social progress.”

The UN Headquarters in New York hosted a new conference devoted to sharing good practices and lessons learned from the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralymics on how to improve safety, security and service for major sporting events. The event was hosted by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism and co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of France to the UN. Another outcome was to foster a culture of security to protect sport from the scourge of terrorism and leveraging sport values for strengthening youth resiliency against violent ideologies.

Very interesting insights were provided by the representative of the 2022 World Cup organised in Qatar who shared vivid insight what the organisation of such a major sport event incorporates regarding modern security issues, including cyber attacks and terrorist threats from air and land. EMCA was represented with the Director for Development and Sustainability Bojan Mijatović.

On February 15-17, 2025, The first in person meeting of the “GoldAge” project – MULTISPORT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR ADULTS 60+ – was held in Zagreb, Croatia.
GoldAge is an 18-month program, co-financed by the Erasmus program of the European Commission, aimed at sport and older people. The activities are implemented by 3 members of EMCA with the lead “Levski-Sport for All” in partnership with “HAŠK – Mladost” (Croatia) and the Lazio Foundation (Italy).

The host of the meeting was HAŠK Mladost , an established name in the Croatian sports system.
The coordinators from Association “Levski-Sport for all” , “HASK – Mladost” and the Fondazione S.S. Lazio 1900 made a general overview of the project, defining the main steps, approving the distribution of tasks and approving a schedule for their implementation. The communication strategy, good practices in training older people and what materials will be needed for training of trainers were also discussed.

A pleasant surprise from the hosts was the visit to the town of Samobor, near Zagreb. The medieval town with a rich cultural and historical heritage also has an extensive sports calendar. A favorite place for the capital’s residents for trekking and relaxation.

All news about the project can be found on the official project page GoldAge.EU

Ágnes Keleti (née Klein; 9 January 1921 – 2 January 2025) was a Hungarian and Israeli artistic gymnast and coach who won multiple Olympic medals. She was the oldest living Olympic champion and medallist, reaching her 100th birthday on 9 January 2021. While representing Hungary at the Summer Olympics, she won 10 Olympic medals including five gold medals, three silver medals, and two bronze medals, and is considered to be one of the most successful Jewish Olympic athletes of all time. She was the most successful athlete at the 1956 Summer Olympics. In 1957, Keleti immigrated to Israel, where she worked as a coach, eventually returning to her native Hungary in 2015 at the age of 94. In 2017, she was awarded the Israel Prize in sports.

Agnes Keleti was born in Budapest, Hungary. She began to train in gymnastics at the age of 4, and by 16 was the Hungarian National Champion in gymnastics. Over the course of her career, between 1937 and 1956, she won the Championships title ten times.^[7][11][12] She changed her surname to Keleti to make it more Hungarian-sounding. Having survived the Holocaust, after the WWII she continued in achieving 5 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze Olympic medals at the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games (Helsinki and Melbourne), becoming one of the most decorated Olympic athletes of all times. At the age of 35, Keleti became the oldest female gymnast ever to win gold. The Soviet Union invaded Hungary during the 1956 Olympics. Keleti, along with 44 other athletes from the Hungarian delegation, decided to remain in Australia and received political asylum. She became a coach for Australian gymnasts.

Keleti has been the oldest Hungarian Olympic champion since Sándor Tarics died on 21 May 2016. She became the oldest living Olympic champion when Lydia Wideman died on 13 April 2019. She celebrated her 100th birthday in January 2021. She became the longest-lived Olympic champion ever on 7 August 2023, breaking the record previously held by Tarics.

Keleti died in Budapest on 2 January 2025, at the age of 103, a week before her 104th birthday, after being hospitalised with pneumonia in the previous week.

The life of Agnes Keleti symbolises the turbulent history of Europe of the 20th century and EMCA humbly commemorates the exceptional life and accomplishments of her sport career in the most respectful manner.

Agnes Keleti performing the splits in 1949. Photograph: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum/Facebook