The genesis of Association of the European National Olympic Committees (AENOC) in the 1960s

Abstract

At the turn of the 1960s, relations between the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were at the heart of debates and exchanges within the Olympic Movement. It was during this pivotal period that the NOCs wanted to play a greater part in the IOC’s Olympic activities, but also in spreading Olympism throughout their territories.

The desire to bring the NOCs together within an association was one of the solutions being considered. The European NOCs supported this initiative and launched the idea of an association of the NOCs of Europe, but this initiative very quickly ran into difficulties.