Kersti Kaljulaid to stand for president of EOC

TALLINN - Estonia's former president Kersti Kaljulaid, who announced at the end of August that she was considering running for the post of president of the Estonian Olympic Committee (EOC), has communicated with a significant number of EOC members and has decided to run for the presidency. 

"The last week and a half has been an insanely busy time for me -- I have been able to communicate with many, but unfortunately by no means all, of the members of the EOC. I have seen that my ideas for the future of the EOC have been warmly received and I feel that a significant portion of the sporting world wants to see change. This is confirmed by the decision already taken by 25 EOC members to nominate me for president. This is a great amount of trust and I confirm that I will stand as a candidate for president of the EOC. I am confident that more supporters will join their ranks in the coming days," Kaljulaid said in a press release on Monday.

She expressed her pleasure that in recent weeks, an increasingly active debate has emerged both in the sports community and the public regarding the role of the Olympic Committee and the changes needed in the management of sports in Estonia.

"This has also been one of my goals -- to broaden our discussions so that every sports federation and organization reflects on what brings them joy today, where they see challenges, and how to address them. No matter which candidate wins, we all will gain valuable insights from these discussions. Every sports club should also ask their federation what they stand for and how they will vote," she added.

Kaljulaid called on all media houses to organize debates for candidates for the presidency of the EOC in the coming weeks. 

The signatures of at least 15 members of the EOC are required for a person to run for the president of the EOC, and the deadline for nominations is Sept. 13. The election will take place on Oct. 11.