NEWS

Together with the meeting of the ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnership AthleteConnect (ACON), on October 29 and 30, 2025 the University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) celebrated in Warsaw (Poland) the Polish governmental programme of dual career with an event encompassing the Annual University Sport Congress, an international Conference on Dual Career, and a Gala to honour the major achievements of the Polish University Sport.

During the international Conference the EAS President, Laura Capranica, provided an overview of the European dual career, including the opportunities offered by deliverables of some European Collaborative Partnerships for athletes (e.g., SmartStart for DC, Springboards, EdMedia, ELCAMP), teachers/tutors (e.g., Talent, Starting11, Estport, DC Mentor, COMPATH), parents (e.g., EMPATIA), universities (e.g., DiscoverU, More Than Gold, FIND ME), and companies (BRAVA DC) available at the European Commission Platform of ERASMUS+ projects (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects).

Andrej Pisl illustrated the mission, activities, events and projects of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), highlighting the role of dual career to enhance the university impact and visibility through the ongoing ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnership Discovering University Sport and Dual Career (DiscoverU).

Spartaco Grieco presented the activities of the sports club APS ASD Margherita Sport e Vita (Italy), which is involved in several European projects focused on the dual career support of youth athletes, including Smart Start for DC.

Johanna Perrier explained the vision, activities, programmes of the French Sport Foundation with special focus on the creation of a support community for talented athletes, including a dedicated platform for individuals and businesses to engage in tax-deductible donations to support the specific needs of youth athletes.

Finally, Kristiana Kazandzhieva from the Bulgarian Olympic Committee provided an overview of the ACON project on dual career and its main outcomes.

Moderated by Krzysztof Sedzicki, medallists at the 2025 Summer University Games Maksymilian Szwed (track and field-gold), Przemysław Konecki (compound archery-bronze), Szymon Piatkowski (taekwondo-silver) and Aleksandra Leszczynska from AZS Lodz and Karol Bar from AZS AWF Katowice participated in a panel discussion and provided their personal experiences, the past and actual challenges, and vision of future transitions.

Aleksandra Leszczynska (AZS Lodz) moderated the last panel session with Rector Alojzy Z. Nowak, (University of Warsaw and President of the Academic Sports Association), Piotr Borys (Ministry of Sport and Tourism), Rector Bartosz Molik (University of Physical Education, Warsaw), Prof. Adam Zając (Vice-Rector for Sport at the University of Physical Education, Katowice) who discussed the relationships between national and local governments, and university sport bodies.

After the conference, a special Gala celebrated the major achievements and successes in the field of university sport in Poland, from the athletes to the university sport organizations and the universities.