NEWS

On April 10-11, 2025, the European Commission organized the EU Sport Forum 2025 in Kraków, Poland, which provided a unique opportunity to envisage the advancement of EU sport policies through a high-level dialogue on: the future of the European Sport Model based on solidarity, values and competitiveness; the role of sport in education; the rights and wellbeing of athletes; the piracy of life sports events; the role of sports in EU enlargement; foreign investments in European football; the role of Artificial Intelligence in sport; and the possible implementation of Erasmus+ Sport actions. The event was also streamed online.

The crucial role of a close collaboration between institutions in support of the European Sports Model and its values was addressed in the opening speech by Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport; in the introductory remarks by Sławomir Nitras, Minister of Sport and Tourism of Poland, and by Aleksander Miszalski, Mayor of Krakow; in the video key-note speech by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee; in the presentation of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games by Diana Bianchedi, Chief Strategy Planning & Legacy Officer of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics Foundation; and in the introductory speech on the European Model of Sport by Bogdan Zdrojewski, Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur on the Role of EU Policies in Shaping the European Sport Model. Keynote speeches were also provided by David Evangelista, President and Managing Director of the Special Olympics Europe Eurasia, Shanaia Xuereb, Maltese Special Olympics athlete. The closing remarks of the event were offered by Georg Häusler, Director of Culture, Creativity and Sport of the European Commission.

During the two-day event, EAS joined the Commissioner and the Members of the Sport Unit of the European Commission, the representatives of the European Parliament, national sports ministers, Olympic committees, sport federations, international sports organisations, and elite athletes in debating the challenges, the opportunities, and the future of the European sport policy and collaboration.