One of the biggest stories from the gathering in North Macedonia's capital Skopje was the EOC Executive Board's verdict that the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Russia and Belarus would not take part due to "the current exceptional context and the need to protect the functioning of the General Assembly".

Russia and its ally Belarus have largely been frozen out of international sport since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommending that athletes and officials from both countries are banned from competitions.

However, neither country's NOCs have been directly sanctioned by the IOC, whose President Thomas Bach cautioned yesterday that sports organisations "cannot sanction someone just because of the passport that they hold".

Bach also underlined the IOC's argument that the recommendations against Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials are "protective measures".

In his closing remarks today, Capralos, who is also an IOC member, echoed Bach's message, and reiterated that the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to EOC competitions remains an aim.

"You are the beating heart of sport on our continent, and the voice of the peace through sport message in your countries," the EOC President said.

"We must carry forward what we have discussed here and continue to promote the use of sport as a vehicle for peace and non-discrimination.

"Even the world is divided, sport can unite.

"We took a very difficult one-off decision here due to exceptional circumstances, and now we need to find a sustainable way forward that will lead to reconciliation and unity within the European sports family.

"IOC President Thomas Bach, thank you for your strong leadership and clear guidance you have provided in this most challenging situation.

"As you have made clear, Mr President, in these difficult times, it is more important than ever that we stick with our Olympic principles of non-discrimination.

"Together with our dear friend Sergey Bubka, thank you for leading the solidarity efforts for Ukraine.

"The EOC family has been honoured to contribute and help show the world how sport inspires peace and unity.

"The EOC will continue to be guided by the Olympic principles and values, and we're hoping to see the return of all athletes to the field of play once the circumstances allow, and then the IOC President has made very clear that this unfortunately is not yet the case."

No firm timeframe has been provided for the lifting of measures against Russia and Belarus, although Capralos hinted yesterday that he hopes the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games "could be a Games of peace and reconciliation open to all European athletes", and declared that "the return of the athletes to competition should become our top priority".

Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov hit out at "hysterical decisions" taken by sports organisations in a speech to the ROC Executive Committee on Thursday (June 9), while Russia's official state news agency TASS reported that he had threatened to take "legal steps" over the national body's non-participation in Skopje.

Capralos marked one year as EOC President at the General Assembly.

He thanked hosts from the North Macedonian Government and the Olympic Committee of North Macedonia, and said that the gathering had featured "two days of important discussions, discussions that were often challenging but also productive".

"Over the past year, the EOC has made significant progress," Capralos summarised.

"Over the past two days, we have heard reports from all the EOC Commissions, and our event organisers.

"It is clear that the governance, communication, finances, Commission activities, external relations and much more are on the right path to achieve our goals.

"This is a result of your work, not just your contributions over the past few days, but your commitment to the European Olympic Movement 365 days a year."

The second day of the General Assembly featured reports on the Vuokatti 2022 Winter European Youth Olympic Festival and upcoming editions of the event, as well as updates on next year's Games of the Small States of Europe in Malta and from the World Anti-Doping Agency.

EOC Strategic Agenda 2030 Working Group chair Đorđe Višacki's report included a vow to continue seeking input from NOCs for an action plan covering 2023 to 2026.

The General Assembly also agreed that the European sports model should be protected to ensure that "sport continues to be run in the interests of the many", following a report from EOC European Union office director Folker Hellmund.