Author: duponam
The TALENT Project aims to promote equal education, prevent exclusion, support Dual Careers, create a new pattern of behaviour to benefit young, talented children, and prepare for lifelong learning and professional sports from childhood.
3rd Meeting of the Partners in Athens, Greece
The 3rd Transnational Partners’ Meeting took place on the 23rd and 24th of November, 2023, in Athens, Greece, and was hosted by KMOP Education and Innovation Hub. During the meeting, the partners discussed finalising the document for the Standards for Identification of Talented Children and the Methodological Handbook with Standards for the Detection and Assessment of the Potential of Talented Children in Sports. The partnership discussed the quality of the results and how they can be used by the target groups – educators and coaches wishing to support the dual career of students and how to recognise talented children in sports.
During the meeting, the partners developed the structure and content of the modules for the E-Stop Platform, in which children, teachers, coaches and parents interested in the topic can register and create a profile. The platform will contain practical information about recognising talent, supporting children, preventing their drop-out, and helping them maintain this dual status in the future by starting a dual-career program. The partners will develop the content, which will be piloted in the participating countries beginning in September 2024.
The contents of the platform will be:
- Positive Youth Development
- Fostering/Moniting Inclusive Environments
- Implementing Teamwork and Shared Insights in Recognising Talent
- Practical Talent Recognition and Support Strategies
The meeting was fruitful, and the partners ensured the development of qualitative results to enhance and support the target groups (coaches, educators and talented children). We are pleased with the outcome of the meeting and the positive atmosphere held throughout this two-day meeting. All representatives showed interactivity and were highly motivated to reach the goals of our project.
We thank you for your visit and for attending this meeting. It was an excellent opportunity to listen to each partner’s views on the project, evaluate its progress, and inspire the next steps of its implementation.
Stay tuned to learn more about the next steps of the project!
You can contact your local organisation implementing the project in your country to learn more and participate in the upcoming activities!
December 12, 2023 (from 13:55 CET)
13:30-13:55 Online connections
13:55 Welcoming of participants/speakers
Alberto Bichi (Director EPSI)
Prof. Ciaran Mac Donncha, University of Limerick (IRE) Coordinator of the BRAVA DC Collaborative Partnership
Edited by María José Maciá-Andreu María T. Morales-Belando Lourdes Meroño Antonio Sánchez-Pato, and Juan Alfonso García-Roca, the ebook A Holistic Approach to the Dual Career of the Student-Athlete includes the scientific contributions of the 2022 EAS Conference in Cartagena, Spain, and is available at https://www.dykinson.com/libros/a-holistic-approach-to-the-dual-career-of-the-student-athlete/9788411704861/
On November 2-4, 2023, more than 400 researchers gathered at the Parthenope University of Naples to attend the 14th Annual Congress of the Italian Society of Movement and Sports Sciences (SISMeS). The three-day event was preceded by a Conversation Corner between the young researchers and the SISMeS Board, and by two sessions dedicated to the selected 10 oral and 14 poster presentations of youth researchers, respectively. Following the opening session, there was a round table on the Italian States General of the Movement and Sports Sciences ,held in Rome on October 19-20, 2023. The second day was dedicated to the oral and poster presentations of the participants, to two symposia (“Exercise Prevention and Management of Diabesity” and “Performance Monitoring”), to the workshops of the COSMED, MATRIX, MICROGATE, and TECHNOGYM sports companies, to the presentation of the SISMeS educational course on “Statistics for Sports Sciences”, and to the SISMeS General Assembly.
In reporting the societal activities carried on in 2023, during the SISMEeS General Assembly, President Prof. Angela Di Baldassarre highlighted that SISMES cooperates with several Italian Scientific Societies of the health sector to sustain the values of an active lifestyles and enforces the development of the academic and professional careers of youth researchers. She also addressed the relevance of European dual career research for the advancement of the sports discourse in sports, recognized the progress of Italian Universities in the implementation of dual career policies, and renowned their involvement in the European ERASMUS+Sport projects in collaboration with EAS.
Prof. Laura Capranica, President of EAS, highlighted the relevant progress of dual career at the Italian academic level and the future challenges to improve the working conditions of sportspersons and invited the numerous Italian PhD students currently devoted to the study of Dual Career issues to contribute to the special issue “Multidimensional development of student-athletes: new perspectives on dual-career” (Manuscript Summary Submission Deadline 17 January 2024, Manuscript Submission Deadline 07 May 2024). Through their collaboration, SISMeS and EAS aim to exchange educational tools and research in dual career for their respective networks and to disseminate the values of Dual Career culture for the improvement of academic and working conditions of the sportspersons.
The last day encompassed oral and poster presentations, the symposium on Sport and Sustainability, the main lecture “How Elite Sport Can Make Wearable Technology Happen” by Prof. Yannis Pitsiladis, the ceremony for the winners of the youth researchers and sports scientists awards, and the SISMeS Lottery sponsored by LEGEA.
In summarizing the success of the 14th SISMES Conference, Prof. Stefania Orrù, Chair of the Organizing Committee, thanked the Rector, the Colleagues, and the Staff members of the University Parthenope of Naples for their efforts and dedication, the Members of the SISMES Bureau, the young researchers for their innovative and exciting contributions, and all the participants who made this event a lifelong experience for the Italian movement and sports sciences. She also invited everybody to attend the 15th SISMeS Congress at the D’Annunzio Chieti-Pescara University in 2024.
Further information is available at www.sismes.org,
On October 23, 2023, the Rector Prof. Antonio Garofalo, the Pro-Rector for Sport and Active Lifestyles Prof. Pasqualina Buono, the Pro-Rector for Education Prof. Enrico Marchetti, and the Head of the Department of Medicine, Movement and Sports Sciences welcomed the participants to the Dual Career Day at the University of Naples Parthenope, highlighting the present and future development of dual career policies for allowing sportspersons combining their sports and education commitments. The University of Napoli “Parthenope” has been a long-term member of EAS and of the national network Unisport-Italia, which cooperated with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), the Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP), the Italian University Sport Federation (FederCUSI), and the National Rectors’ Association (CRUI) for the formulation of the national dual career guidelines.
According to the strategic plan of the University, the implementation of dual career represents a relevant priority also considering the increased number of students and the future enlargement of the university campus. The President of the Regional Olympic Committee dr. Sergio Roncelli, the President of EAS, Prof. Laura Capranica, and the Presidents of the University of Naples Parthenope’s Bachelor and Masters degrees Prof. Rosaria Meccariello, Prof. Maria Luisa Iavarone, Prof. Massimo Valeri, and the responsible for the University dual career programme Prof. Andreina Alfieri discussed the achievements and future directions of dual career to overcome the barriers sportspersons encounter in their university paths.
Former champions Mr. Franco Porzio (waterpolo) and Mr. Emanuele Federici (rowing) shared their experiences and inspired young elite athletes to pursue a holistic development for achieving better performances in sport and academics. They also handed the dual career certificate to the current university student-athletes. At the end of the ceremony, President Capranica presented the EAS t-shirt to Prof. Pasqualina Buono.
From November 2 to 4, 2023, the University of Naples Parthenope will host the Annual Congress of the Italian scientific society of movement and sports sciences (SISMES) during which a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with EAS.
Hosted by the Turkiye University Sport Federation (TUSF), more than 100 delegates of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) and invited participants from the American, African, Asian, and Oceanian FISU gathered in Kusadasi (Turkiye) to attend the EUSA General Assembly, the EUSA-FISU Strategic Dialogue 2023, and the EUSA Awards Ceremony. The first day, the EUSA President Mr. Adam Roczek opened the 2023 EUSA General Assembly aimed to discuss and approve the EUSA activities, and to foresee fruitful international cooperation with the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Further information is available at https://www.eusa.eu/eusa-general-assembly-2023-held-in-kusadasi
During the second day, Mrs. Sevim Gullu, Scientific Board Member of the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM) addressed good governance and fair play issues to introduce two panel discussions of the EUSA-FISU Strategic Dialogue 2023. The first panel discussion moderated by Lorenz Ursprung involved the EUSA President Mr. Adam Roczek, the FISU Acting President Mr. Leonz Eder, the FISU America President Mr. Alim Maluf Neto, the FASU Secretary General Mrs. Penninah Kabenge and the AUSF Representative Mrs. Jin Liu, who addressed the achievements, future perspectives, and challenges of university sports in the different continents.
Mrs. Natasa Jankovic moderated the second panel discussion on sustainable sports involving the Estonian FISU representative Mr. Tarmo Jaakson, Swiss EUSA representative Mr. Andreas, the representative of the Hungarian University Sports Federation Mr. Peter Juhasz, and the Italian representative of FederCUSI Mr. Francis Cirianni. Although sustainability is among the most important topics in sports, different expectations, approaches, and advances make it difficult to generalize key economical, organizational, and political outcomes. Further information is available at https://www.eusa.eu/eusa-fisu-strategic-dialogue-2023.
The achievements and contributions of individuals, universities and associations deserving recognition and praise were celebrated during the EUSA Annual Awards 2022 guided by Mrs. Sara Rozman and Mr. Bruno Barracosa. The University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) was attributed the most active National University Sports Association (NUSA) and the Most Successful NUSA Award, the University of Zagreb was recognized the 2022 Best University award and the the Most Active University Award. The Medal of Appreciation was presented to the University Sports Association of Poland and to the Türkiye University Sports Federation (TUSF). A special Medal of Appreciation was presented to the Finnish Student Sports Federation, the Estonian Academic Sports Federation, the Latvian University Sports Federation and the Lithuanian Students’ Sports Association. A Medal of Appreciation was awarded and to the former Secretary General of the Croatian Academic Sports Federation Mr. Davor Habljak, to the Secretary General of Austrian University Sports Organisation Mr. Manfred Pfeifer, to the organizer of the European Universities Games Lodz 2022 Mr. Dominik Lezanski, and to the EUSA member Mr. Matija Krnc, and to the Badminton Europe Confederation. The Enno Harms Fair Play Award was attributed to the Hungarian University of Sports Science and the EUSA Order of Merit awards were given to Mr. Krzysztof Jozwik, Rector of Lodz University of Technology, to Mr. Zrinko Custonja and to Mr. Pedro Montiel Gamez. For his long-term commitment and significant contribution to the development and promotion of university sport in Europe, Mr. Lorenz Ursprung was attributed the EUSA Honorary Member Award.
A Medal of Appreciation was also presented to the EAS President Mrs. Laura Capranica for her long-term commitment in European Athlete as Student Network and successful cooperation with the European University Sports Association. President Capranica thanked the vision and determination of Mr. Risto Keskitalo and of Bengt Nybelius to whose memory EAS established an award for researchers, the support of the European Parliament and Commission for addressing dual career of the athletes as a priority of European sports policies, the members of the EAS ExCom for their commitment to the European dual career network, and to the members of EAS, EUSA and FISU, who support the dual career of athletes and have to start supporting the sport and academic careers of all the sportspersons, such as coaches, physical trainers, referees, sports managers, and volunteers.
Further information is available at https://www.eusa.eu/2023-eusa-awards-ceremony
Hosted by the Portuguese Sport Confederation and coordinated by ENGSO, on October 12-14, 2023, the Sports as Value Team gathered in Lisbon, Portugal to develop the first workshop planned in the project.
In the first day all the participants were invited to merge to the EQUIP Conference to learn about inclusion and diversity witnessing good practices in these areas and getting to know policies, EU documents about gender equality and identities in sports. Moreover, it was possible to participate actively in parallel sessions such as Human Library, Walk of Privilege and Call to Action.
In the morning of the second day, Sports as Value partners, from Region 1, presented their good practices:
- Albania NOC: about digitalisation and partnerships;
- BiH NOC: about the meaning of sports in post-conflict zone;
- Kosovo NOC: about internationalization.
The following periods were dedicated to the participation of all the Sports as Value partners in the European Sport Platform, organized by Engso and Portuguese Sport Confederation, where an active involvement in the following topics was fully recommended:
- Value and policy in sport
- Sustainability dimension in sport
- Sustainability dimension in sport – parallel workshops
- Economical dimension of sustainability
- Social dimension of sustainability
- Environmental dimension of sustainability
- Good governance in sport
- Good governance in sport – parallel workshops
- Youth and integrity
- Safeguarding in sport
- Fair play in grassroots sport
- HealthyLifestyle4All initiative – Legacy of Youth Ideas Labs
The EAS was represented by António Figueiredo.
Further information will be shared by EAS ExCom in future contact moments, with a especial in the Annual Conference to be held in Katowice, Poland, next September 24-26, 2024.
Sports as Value project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
On October 2-4, the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio hosted the 2023 EAS Annual Conference “Promoting wellbeing in dual career” at the Angioino-Aragonese Castle in Gaeta. The participants were welcomed by Prof. Cristina Cortis, Rector Delegate for Sport and President of the Organizing Committee, Prof. Laura Capranica, President of EAS.
The first sessions were dedicated to “EU Sport Policies and Opportunities”, introduced by a video message of MEP Tomasz Frankowski, Rapporteur of “EU sports policy: Assessment and possible ways forward”, who underlined that dual career is no longer considered for athletes only but for all the sportspersons (e.g., coaches, physical trainers, referees, sports managers) struggling to combine their sport commitment with quality education and work careers. The online presentation of Mrs. Izabela Pelczynska, European Education and Culture Executive Agency of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), informed the audience regarding the European policies and funding opportunities for innovative projects in dual career. Mr. Andrea Carletti, Vice-Chair of the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) at the Council of Europe and Member of the Sport Department at the Italian Presidency of Council of Ministers, illustrated the role of EPAS and its Consultative Committee of International organizations in supporting the advancement of the sport culture and dialogue, and highlighted the recent approval of the Italian Parliament to include sports in the article 33 of the Italian Constitution, which is dedicated to education and science. The recent celebration of the World Fair Play Day and the introduction of the 365-day calendar of the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM) were presented by Mr. Ruggero Alcanterini, President of the Italian Fair Play Committee, who invited the participants to attend in streaming the next EFPM conference “Fair Play and Racism” to be held on November 23 in Baku, Azerbaigian.
The dual career activities of major International and European sports associations were illustrated by Mr. William Thompson from the International University Sports Federation – FISU who introduced the FISU DC Toolkit to facilitate the development of dual career globally; Mr. Joerg Förster and Mr. Andrej Pišl from the European University Sport Association – EUSA who reported on the actual sports activities at European level and the current involvement with EAS in EU-funded dual career projects BRAVA-DC (2020-2023) and the DiscoverU to be started next January 2024; and Linda Rombolá from European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation – ENGSO, who presented the Capacity Building project Sports as Values and aiming to foster positive values and enhancing grassroots sports in Western Balkan countries, respectively.
The following session was dedicated to the development of Italian DC policies, including the recent publication of the National DC Guidelines. Prof. Stefania Orrù from the Italian Society of Movement and Sport Sciences – SISMES acknowledged the advances of research in the dual career area and anticipated the signature of a Memorandun of Understanding with EAS during the XIV SISMES Congress (Naples, November 2-4, 2023). Colonel Walter Borghino from the International Military Sport Council and Italian Defence General Staff, illustrated the relevant role of the military sector in supporting sports by providing opportunities of dual career at the workplace, although different arrangements between army corps and countries are in place. Prof Antonio Tessitore, President of the European Network of Sport Education – ENSE and President of the Bachelor Degree in Sports Sciences at the University of Rome Foro Italico, underlined the relevant role of quality education in sports also for elite coaches through the dedicated dual career educational programmes at the Foro Italico University. In considering that EAS, ENSE, and EUSA are members of the Consultative Committee of EPAS – Council of Europe, Prof. Tessitore anticipated the preparation of a Memorandum of Understanding. Mr. Marco Arpino from the Italian National Olympic Committee – CONI presented the Italian DC Guidelines developed in cooperation with the Network of Italian Universities interested in sports – UNISPORT Italia, the Italian University Sports Federation – CUSI, and the Italian National Paralympic Committee – CIP, which represent a good practice and a further opportunity to develop dual career policies in Italy. The role of dual career in Italy was further offered by Mr. Carlo Molfetta, Gold Olympic Medalist in Taekwondo at the 2012 London Games and Member of the Italian National Athletes’ Commission at CONI, who highlighted the crucial role of the athletes’ representativeness in sports bodies and the support he received from the Italian Taekwondo Federation – FITA for his dual career in education and work, which allowed him to graduate in higher education while working as a sports manager.
The dedicated session to the 2023 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship was awarded to dr. Alejandro Leiva-Arcas from the Universitad Catolica de Murcia – UCAM for his paper entitled “Perceived Barriers for Student-Athletes with Disabilities: A Comparative Analysis according to the State’s Dual Career Support Policy System”, which offered novel findings from scientific data collected in five countries (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania and Ireland) during the recently completed EU ERASMUS+Sport project Para-limits aiming to adapt the dual career mentoring model to high-level athletes with disabilities.
The last session of the first day was dedicated to the significant evolution of dual career at seven Italian Universities. In particular, Prof. Giuliana Gobbi illustrated the special dual career financial support at the University of Parma, Prof. Alberto Rainoldi reported on the dual-career programme and the healthy campus at the University of Turin, Prof. Sergio Bellantonio highlighted the positive aspects of a blended learning for dual career students’ wellbeing at the University of Foggia, Prof. Stefano Bastianon from the University of Bergamo proposed an interesting legal approach for the protection of student-athletes taking into consideration the relevance of EU law, Prof. Raymond Siebetcheu introduced a plurilingual dual career education programme at the University for Foreigners of Siena in light of the massive phenomenon of migration, dr. Ida Cariati offered the approach to balanced lifestyles of student-athletes at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Dr. Davide Malacrida presented the state-of-the-art and future challenges for improvements of the dual career programme at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – UCSC, and dr. Francesca Vitali explained the peer-tutoring organized at the University of Verona in cooperation with the University Sport Centre – CUS and the Centre for Educational Rights – ESU to facilitate the organization of individualized study programmes of athletes.
On the second day, Juan-Alfonso Garcia-Roca introduced the session focused on the promotion of wellbeing in dual career through a holistic approach followed by lectures on the potential benefits of quality sleeping strategies for recovery of elite women volleyball student-athletes by dr. Luca Rossini from the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, the role of empowerment for personal development and wellbeing of athletes by Prof. Inga Staškevičiūtė-Butienė from the Lithuanian Sports University, the outcomes of workshops and panels with athletes and entrepreneurs by Prof. Romana Caput-Jogunica from the University of Zagreb and Croatian Olympic Committee, and the recent dual career programme at the Catholic University of Valencia by Jorge Terraces.
Seven presentations highlighted Dual Career Best Practices and Research. Prof. Pertii Huotari from the University of Jyväskylä underlined the relevant role of parents and friends for dual career at high school level, Prof. Piotr Rodak from the Academy of Physical Education in Katowice (Poland) illustrated the individual plan and study programmes at his university, Prof. Agita Abele from the Latvian Academy of Sports Education presented the dual career support for student-athletes in Latvia, Prof Pierluigi Diotaiuti from the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio proposed a monitoring tool for the development of a friendly dual career environment, Mr. Aku Nikander from the University of Jyväskylä highlighted the role of developmental evaluation in enhancing dual career environments, Prof. Irena Valantinė from the Lithuanian Sports University posed entrepreneurship and self-employment career options for elite athletes, Prof. Attilio Sacripanti from the International Judo Academy Foundation (IJF) addressed the outcomes of the ERASMUS+Sport project EDJCO on an online educational programme for facilitating the continuous education of employee-judo coaches, and Juan Alfonso Garcia-Roca from UCAM explained the aims and progression of the ERASMUS+Sport Project S4SC Sport for Social Change.
At the end of the morning and afternoon sessions of the second day, the participants contributed to the EAS workshops of the ERASMUS+Sport BRAnd Values Alignment through Dual Career (BRAVA-DC, 622824-EPP-1-2020-1-IE-SPO-SCP) organized by EAS in cooperation with Prof. Giovanni Mattia from University RomaTre and requiring the participants to grade the clarity of the 16 guidelines developed for enhancing dual career at the workplace, and of TALENT project (101090147- ERASMUS-SPORT-2022-SCP) organized by EAS in cooperation with dr. Martina Albanese and dr. Domenico Vicari from the University of Palermo asking participants’ opinions on the most relevant factors for identifying and supporting talents.
Mr. Ole Keldorf, EAS General Secretary, chaired the 2023 Annual General Assembly during which the activities carried out in this year have been summarized and unanimously approved, including the Annual Conference, online cafés, newletters, the participation in and application for European ERASMUS+ Sport Collaborative Partnerships (BRAVA-DC, Compath, DC Mentor, DiscoverU, ElCAMP, Find Me, Para-limits, Smart Start and Talent) and the Capacity Building “Sports as Values”, the cooperation with European institutions, academies, sports bodies, and policy makers, the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Fair Play Movement, and two Memorandum of Understanding to be signed with SISMES and ENSE. The outcomes of the participated survey on EAS Members’, Policy Makers’, and Stakeholders’ opinions regarding the Network vision and activities have been reported, which were precious to define the EAS Strategic Plan for the 2023-2026 quadrennium confirming the previous aims and activities extended also to talents in performing arts. It was announced that the 2024 EAS Conference will be held in Katowice (Poland), and the proposals for the 2026 Conference in Oulu (Finland) and 2027 Conference in Croatia, with an open call for the 2025 Conference. Prof. Mojca Doupona presented the 2022 Financial report, also unanimously approved. At the end of the General Assembly, the EAS members and stakeholders presented their appreciation to the Executive Board for its dedication to the dual career family and Andrej Pisl from EUSA announced that the President of EAS was awarded the “EUSA Medal of Appreciation” for her long-term commitment in EAS.
After the EAS General Assembly, Prof. Rajmund Tomik and Piotr Rozak presented the preliminary information of the 2024 EAS Conferences to be held in Katowice, Poland, which has been awarded the title of European City of Science 2024.
The third day of the event included a tour to the Montecassino Abbey and the closing ceremony at the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, with the participation of the President of CUS, and the Paralympic Champion and Lieutenant Colonel of the Italian Army Giuseppe Campoccio, who qualified for Paris 2024.
During the conference breaks, lunches, dinners, the visit to Gaeta and its Serapo beach, and the final tour the participants had plenty of opportunities to interact and envisage new innovative projects to be submitted during the next Call for ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Partnerships and Capacity Buildings. Also this year, the large delegation of Finnish Rectors and the Brazilian participants confirmed that the EAS Conference is a crucial event to further develop a European dual career discourse in and beyond Europe.
On behalf of the EAS Board, President Capranica thanked the Organizing Committee and the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio staff for their efforts to organize such a wonderful start of the 2023-2026 quadrennium to be continued in Katowice, Poland in 2024.
Further information is available at Instagram and facebook easconference2023
THE FINNISH DELEGATION AT THE EAS CONFERENCE
After the conference in Gaeta, Italy, which focused on dual careers and well-being, we, the representatives of sports academies in Finland, would like to express our gratitude. The conference was a valuable opportunity for us to learn more about how to support young athletes in their pursuit of balancing sports and education.
We want to thank the organizers and all the speakers for their insightful presentations and sharing of best practices. The discussions and exchange of experiences with fellow participants have provided us with new ideas and strategies to help our students achieve both athletic and academic success.
The seminar also offered an opportunity to engage in discussions with representatives from other sports academies and share best practices. This helped us in developing more supportive programs and resources for our students, enabling them to achieve both their athletic and academic goals.
The conference has strengthened our commitment to continue working together to support young athletes in their dual careers and promote their well-being. We look forward to future collaborations and opportunities to share experiences. Thank you for this enriching and inspiring conference.
On September 7th, 2023 at the City Hall of Brussels, Belgium, the President of the European Fair Play Movement, Mr. Philippe Housiaux, welcomed public representatives, delegated of international associations, and personalities to celebrate the World Fair Play Day 2023 dedicated to “Peace Through Sport”.
In particular, the European Fair Play Movement created the prestigious “Sport for Peace Award”, assigning the first edition to Mrs. Berit Reiss-Andersen and the Norwegian Committee for the Nobel Peace Prize for creating the conditions to achieve lasting peace in the world. Furthermore, to support the aim that fair play is an everyday commitment, the Fair Play Calendar has been introduced, which encompasses 365 practical examples from sport to education and general citizenship.
This year, also the “International Fair Play Passport” has been introduced to promote both the Olympic values and the values in all sports regardless of different national identities. This award has been developed in collaboration with Olympic Academies of Italy (AONI) and Greece (HOA), under the auspices of the International Fair Play Committee, the European Fair Play Movement, and the Italian National Fair Play Committee, the Italian (CONI) and the Hellenic Olympic Committees, and the National Platform for Sport lntegrity, to be assigned to events and programmes encouraging the development of Olympic values, combatting deception, physical and verbal abuse/violence, exploitation, excessive commercialization and corruption.
Celebrated in 180 countries worldwide the 4th edition of World Fair Play Day in Brussels demonstrated the power of Fair Play also through artistic expression, encompassing special artistic “A Violin For Peace” performance by the Ukrainian violinist, Myroslava Kotorovyck, and a quartet from the Chamber Orchestra of Huy, orchestrated by Belgian composer Luc Baiwir. Furthermore, an artistic dance performance by the Norwegian dancer Selina Jappee, and choreographed by the International Dance Organization (IDO) marked the celebration of World Fair Play Day.
For the first time, a project concerning dual-career athletes has been initiated in the Republic of Kosovo. The project, titled “Dual-career athletes in the Republic of Kosovo and their motivation towards sport and education” is under the leadership of Dr. Sc. Masar Gjaka, 2019 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship winner, who holds the position of Dean at the Faculty of Sports Science and Movement at the University for Business and Technology in Pristina. Thanks to the outstanding collaboration with researchers and experts from five different countries within the European Union, during the period of 2018-2019 Dr. Gjaka cooperated as a researcher for the co-construction of the online educational programme for parents of dual career athletes of the ERASMUS+Sport EMPATIA project (https://edu.empatiasport.eu/eng/).
The “Dual-career athletes in the Republic of Kosovo and their motivation towards sport and education” project holds significant pertinence in its capacity to provide substantial support to dual-career athletes in the future, especially the Republic of Kosovo. The acquisition of knowledge, unique experience, establishment of a network, and comprehension of the significance of dual-career support have collectively instigated the inception of this mission.
The successful realization of this project owed its feasibility to the endorsement of the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports. The Ministry recognized the project as important and aligned with their goals. It is important to note that this project serves as an initial step toward the accomplishment of more extensive initiatives on national, regional, and even international scales. It’s notable that the execution of this project stems from the close cooperation with the European Athlete Students organization, which has made invaluable contributions to the execution and the achievement of outcomes of the ongoing “Dual-career athletes in the Republic of Kosovo and their motivation towards sport and education” project. In particular, dr. Gjaka (UBT) and dr. Elena Conde (UCAM) are acting as Members of the EAS Scientific Committee, chaired by Prof. Antonio Tessitore (UNIMED) and supervised by the ExCom Member Prof. Antonio Figueiredo (Coimbra University).
Dr. Gjaka will have further opportunities to establish Dual Career cooperation during his Fulbright Scholarship visit at the Department of Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences of the University of North Carolina Charlotte (USA).
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EAS wishes all the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship Winners to be inspired for advancing the European Dual Career and is looking forward to meet the 2023 winner on October 2-4 during the Annual Conference in Gaeta https://sites.google.com/unicas.it/easconference2023/home.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu