Erich Teigamägi elected new president of Estonian Olympic Committee

At a plenary session of the Estonian Olympic Committee held on Thursday, former athletics federation head Erich Teigamägi was elected president with 79 votes out of 111. Teigamägi has prioritised updating the marketing model, as sponsorship funding to the organisation has declined in recent years.

The Estonian Olympic Committee (EOC) received a new president on Thursday: at a plenary session, Erich Teigamägi, former head of the athletics federation, secured 79 out of 111 votes. Tõnu Tõniste, Anne Rei, Priit Sarapuu and Leho Haldna were elected as vice presidents.

Work begins immediately

After the session, Teigamägi told ERR that he needs to refresh himself on some matters following a long break. "I have been away from the EOC's active work for about a year and a half, and I have not been athletics federation president for a year either. This means I need to catch up on certain matters," he explained. As a first step, he wants to wait for the executive committee composition to become clear and then decide whether the existing commissions should continue in their current form.

Teigamägi's term will last 28 months, with the next EOC presidential elections scheduled for after the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics.

Youth sport and coach salaries in focus

Among near-term priorities, Teigamägi named the analysis of Team Estonia youth and other projects. Student sport has also come under scrutiny, and he sees opportunities for simple cooperation solutions to support its development. He also wishes to begin dialogue with all decision-makers to improve coach salaries and working conditions.

Sponsorship funding has declined

Speaking about financial challenges, Teigamägi emphasised that the EOC's partnership relations and marketing model require a thorough review. "To some extent it has worked, but in recent years sponsorship funding has declined. I certainly do not want to see annual reports with a negative number on the profit line. The only place where this can definitely be changed is by bringing in additional funding," he said.