The BDC committee sent two representatives, Lieven Kind and Francesco Camillò, to the special EDSO Congress, which took place in Hannover from August 13 to 16, 2025.
The main achievements of this special EDSO Congress were:
- the approval of all amendments to the EDSO statutes, to bring them into line with international sports regulations, through ICSD;
- the inspection of the sports infrastructure and accommodation facilities on site in preparation for the European Deaf Youth Sports Games in Hannover (August 2026).
The amendments to the statutes were thoroughly discussed in a workshop on the first day and then formally and unanimously approved by a general meeting on the second day. A total of 28 federations and 40 delegates were present.
The discussions focused on, among other things, the following points:
The main achievements of this special EDSO Congress were:
- the approval of all amendments to the EDSO statutes, to bring them into line with international sports regulations, through ICSD;
- the inspection of the sports infrastructure and accommodation facilities on site in preparation for the European Deaf Youth Sports Games in Hannover (August 2026).
The amendments to the statutes were thoroughly discussed in a workshop on the first day and then formally and unanimously approved by a general meeting on the second day. A total of 28 federations and 40 delegates were present.
The discussions focused on, among other things, the following points:
- Updating official terms and abbreviations
- Name of registered office: limited to Brussels (Belgium); an exact address is not required
- Name change: from Associations to Federations
- Change of the required majority for voting rights: from 3/4 to 2/3
- Inclusion of a summary introduction with all recognized abbreviations
- Change of the congress frequency: from biennial to annual
- Communication languages: International Sign Language and written English
- Executive Board structure: reduced to 5 members, supported by various staff members (sports coordinator, financial manager, and a CEO).
After the congress, more information was provided about EDSO's updated website and their new COP (Communication Online Platform), which will allow all registrations and/or event registrations to proceed more smoothly digitally. They hope to have this completed by 2026.
We can look back with satisfaction on the updated statutes, which will provide a better framework for all our athletes in Europe!
