Businessman Urmas Sõõrumaa elected president of the EOC
The general assembly of the Estonian Olympic Committee elected businessman Urmas Sõõrumaa its new president on Friday.
Sõõrumaa won in the second ballot round with 61 to Center Party MP and former mayor of Tallinn Jüri Ratas’ 60 votes.
Three candidates were selected in the preliminary elections in mid-March, namely politician and president of the Estonian Basketball Association Jüri Ratas, businessman and former Olympic sailor Tõnu Tõniste, and businessman and long-time sports sponsor Urmas Sõõrumaa.
The candidates needed 15 votes to make the final ballot rounds, Ratas managed to collect 50, which made him the favorite going in. Sõõrumaa got 28, Tõniste 19 votes.
Facing the EOC’s new president are a number of structural as well as conceptual changes, including closing a gap between the funding of youth and professional athletes. Sõõrumaa has also said that he would introduce an executive board that would allow for more to be done at once.
Editor: Editor: Dario Cavegn
Source: ERR, BNS
