Skopje, 9 June 2022 (MIA) – North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski met Thursday with President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, discussion about the efforts and activities taken by IOC to promote international sports and world peace amid the new circumstances and the changed geopolitical situation caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the meeting, Bach awarded Pendarovski with the prestigious Pierre de Coubertin medal. Participants in the meeting briefed President Pendarovski on the IOC’s support for the Olympic Community in Ukraine, which is based on solidarity as one of the basic values shown across the Olympic Movement, the President's office said in a press release. “Interlocutors also discussed about the work and engagement of the Olympic Committee of North Macedonia in promoting Olympism and sports in our country. In this context, President Pendarovski was briefed on the opening of the first Sports Medicine Laboratory, a donation from the International Olympic Committee. In addition, talks tackled the candidacy of the Republic of North Macedonia and the City of Skopje to host the 2027 European Games,” reads the press release. The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is visiting the country on the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committees, which is taking place in Skopje. This year the country marks the 30^th anniversary of the Macedonian Olympic Committee.