"Strategic planning for the future of sports" saw National Federations in Greece turn out.

It is part of the RINGS project, of which the HOC is part of with other National Olympic Committees (NOC) in Europe.

RINGS project manager and deputy director of the office of the European Olympic Committees in the European Union, Heidi Pekkola, presented the programme.

She was followed by Norbert Schütte from the Department of Sport Economics, Sport Sociology and Sport History of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, who is the co-author of a RINGS handbook, which acts as a guideline for better governance.

HOC secretary general Manolis Kolympadis said it was the right way forward to ensure best practices.

"Strategic planning in sports organisations is not particularly widespread, but it can significantly help its development," said Kolympadis. 

"It may be that in sports everything is about what happens on the field of play, but the right foundations are laid with the right planning, analysis and programming. 

"Furthermore, strategic planning defines what an organisation is, why it exists, what purposes it serves and how its continued survival is ensured. 

"The HOC will always participate in similar programmes and will at the same time motivate the Sports Federations, to promote and develop sports on a scientific basis in order to improve its governance."

The RINGS programme was created to develop and modernise strategic planning of European NOCs.