Author: ktibor
On September 29, 2021, the University of Limerick – Ireland, coordinator of the ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnership “BRAnd Values Align
ment through Dual Career (BRAVA-DC)” (622824-EPP-1-2020-1-IE-SPO-SCP), organized online the second project meeting with the partner’s University of Rome3 – Italy, University of Ljubljana – Slovenia, European Platform for Sport Innovation (EPSI) – Belgium, Elite Sport Academy Aarhus (ESAA) – Denmark, Human Age Institute Foundation (FHAI) – Italy, University of Niš – Serbia, European University Sports Association Institute (EUSA) – Slovenia, and the European Athlete as Student Network – Malta).
The project progression was discussed, including the achievements, future actions, and dissemination activities. In particular, the primary focus of BRAVA-DC is on the enhancement of a dual career of employee-athletes and employee coaches in business-oriented companies.
To define a solid basis for supporting dual career in the workplace and facilitate appropriate brand alignment strategies and Corporate Social Responsibility policies, the scientific literature was analysed. In particular, a conceptual manuscript on dual career elements to be aligned to successfully manage sustainable strategies and practices of corporate brands has been awarded the 2020-2021 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship and will be presented at the 2021 FISU World Conference on December 13-14, 2021.
A further collection of information on the athletes’ and coaches’ needs and barriers of dual career at the workplace was planned. This collected evidence- and eminence-based information will be used to develop a European framework and guidelines.
After more than 2.5 years of implementation, the Erasmus + Sport-funded project EdMedia ends this September, with the main goal of proactively changing the attitude towards an athletes’ dual career by deliberately shaping a positive image and encouraging sports organizations to pursue the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes.
Partners from different EU countries have contributed to this goal: Lithuanian Sports University, Lithuania (LSU), University of Rome Foro Italico, Italy (UNIROMA), European University Sports Association, Slovenia (EUSA), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania (UAIC), University of Valencia, Spain (UV), German Sport University Cologne, Germany (GSU), University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (UL), European Athlete as Student (EAS) Network.
A detailed analysis was carried out during the project to assess the extent to which the EU Guidelines for the Dual Career of Athletes are being implemented in the participating countries, with particular emphasis on 7 of the 36 recommendations related to a systematic approach to dual careers. The results of the project are available on the project coordinator’s (Lithuanian Sports University) website: https://www.lsu.lt/en/project-edmedia/.
During the project, implementation was developed an online platform where athletes, coaches, sport journalists and other stakeholders can find information on what a dual career is for athletes, why it is important and how to use social media to raise awareness of a dual career beyond athletes, but also among the general public, which is shared by athletes from different countries. It is important to mention that the focus was not so much on presenting the importance of the dual career itself, but also on creating a video-based learning platform for athletes seeking a dual career where they can find tips on how to present themselves on social media.
So we invite athletes to actively use the online platform developed during the project to create their own story with EdMedia ….
On September 1, 2021, the President (Laura Capranica) and the Treasurer (Mojca Doupona) of EAS were invited to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Oulu region academy of sports (ORAS) established in 2001, which has a leading role in a new approach of dual career not only in Finland but also in and beyond Europe. Thanks to the vision of Risto Keskitalo, Head of coaching at the Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School of Oulu (established in 1986), initiator of the first sports academy ORAS and EAS founder, the term dual career entered the European sports vocabulary, later adopted worldwide. Furthermore, with the help of Bengt Nybelius (Falun, Sweden), he organized the first European meeting on dual career and our Network was established.
During the past 20 years, dual career grew stronger in Finland, and the Oulu Sports Academy is leading the Finnish Sports Academies. The relevance of this event was testified by the participation of 60 distinguished guests from the city of Oulu (the Mayor Mrs. Päivi Laajala and the Chairman of the City Council Mr. Juha Hänninen – former Olympic athlete), the Finnish Olympic Committee (Antti Paananen and Jarno Parikka), the Rectors and study guiding persons of sports school from all over Finland, the Finnish baseball federation and local club Oulun Kärpät, and Jussi Jokinen, a former professional NHL ice hockey player who attended the Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School.
The City Mayor, Mrs. Päivi Laajala informed the guests of the relevance of Oulu for innovative projects, including the designation of Oulu as the 2026 Capital of Culture. Furthermore, past, actual, and future activities in the sports area have been presented.
The President of EAS had the opportunity to thank the founder of our Network for initiating the European dual career adventure and contributing to the development of a European discourse with his dedication as a lifetime member of the EAS Executive Committee. She illustrated the EAS aims, pillars, activities carried out at institutional levels, and its involvement in the ongoing Erasmus+ Collaborative Partnerships EMPATIA for the provision of an online educational programme for parents of dual career athletes (https://edu.empatiasport.eu), SOS for the implementation of physical education at high school level, STARTING 11 for the provision of an online platform to assists institutions in sport, education and the labour market to boost the implementation of dual career services for athletes (https://starting11.eu), DONA for the implementation of dual career for female volleyball players, More than Gold for the implementation of dual career policies at higher educational institutions, ED MEDIA for the promotion of athletes’ dual career through the social media (https://www.lsu.lt/en/project-edmedia/edmedia-online-platform/), BRAVA-DC for the alignment between dual career and brand values, ELCAMP to develop a sports-focused entrepreneurship programme for talented, elite and retired athletes, and Para-Limits to empower dual career para-athletes (https://paralimits.eu).
At the end of her presentation, EAS invited all the guests to attend the 18 Annual Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, next September 20-22, 2021 (https://eas-lisboa2021.iscte-iul.pt).
Following the recent publication of the European study “EU Sports Policy: Assessment and Possible Ways Forward” (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/236742/PE652-251_Study-EU-Sport-Policy.pdf), last June 29 and July 1, 2021MEP Tomasz Frankowski, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Sports Group, organized online consultations with several stakeholders.
The meeting was opened by Luka Živić, Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Floor Van Houdt, Head of Unit for Sport, European Commission, and Stanislas Frossard, Executive Secretary EPAS, Council of Europe, followed by short presentations by Ronan O’Laoire, Head of the UNODC Programme on Safeguarding Sport from Corruption and Crime, and Rafał Piechota, Director, Office of the President, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Then, the representatives of the sports organisations shared their views on priorities and provided recommendations for European policies. In particular, EAS deemed relevant to consider:
- Continuous support of the role of education in and through sport, especially in promoting social values and economic benefits for the Member States.
- A new edition of the European Year of Education through Sport (EYES) to encourage a full recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, which strongly affected the sport and education sectors.
- A continuous defence of the fundamental rights of sportspersons to combine sport and education by extending the EU dual careers recommendations to all the actors engaged in structured sport (e.g., athletes of all levels, coaches, sport managers, and sports media).
- Inter-sectoral cooperation for the inclusion of education in and through sport in the corporate social responsibility policies and strategies of for-profit companies.
- Support of research and monitoring of different aspects of the European sports phenomenon, including the education and career paths of the athletes, coaches, managers and media, also in light of an implementation of the qualification frameworks in sport at national and European levels.
- A full rights of citizenship for sports in the European research area by appointing a sport scientist in the European Research Council (ERC) and by including sport in the keywords of the ERC evaluation panels.
On June 24, 2021, the Catholic University of San Antonio Murcia UCAM – Spain, coordinator of the ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnership “Dual Career of Student-Athletes with Disabilities as a Tool for Social Inclusion – PARA-LIMITS” (622213-EPP-1-2020-1-ES-SPO-SCP), organized online the second project meeting with the partner’s University of Rome Foro Italico – Italy, the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu – Portugal, the National Physical Education University of Bucharest – Romania, the University of Limerick – Ireland, the Collective Innovation – Norway, the European Paralympic Committee and the European Athlete as Student Network – Malta).
First, the findings on the state of the art of dual career of student-athletes with disabilities were analysed. Then, a 
further collection of information on the obstacles, needs and barriers of this special population in relation to their sports and academic career was planned. In particular, a multi-lingual online survey and national focus groups will be organized during the fall. The collected evidence- and eminence-based information will be used to develop a guide to boost the dual career among athletes with disabilities, and to create an innovative course for the training of university staff as sports mentors specialized in student-athletes with disabilities. (more…)
On June 3, 2021, Kole Gjeloshaj (Chair of the Consultative Committee dell’EPAS – Council of Europe and Deputy Secretary General of ISF) chaired the webinar “Checking criminal records as a tool to protect children in sport”, which examined how to prevent sexual abuse in sport by implementing safe recruitment processes of people who work with children. As a member of the Consultative Committee Bureau, the President of EAS moderated the high-level panel encompassing Elda Moreno (Head of Children’s Rights and Sport Values Department of the Council of Europe), Melanie LANG (Senior Lecturer in child protection in sport, Centre for Child Protection and Safeguarding in Sport at the Edge Hill University, United Kingdom), Vivien RIMMER (Head of Safeguarding, Rugby Football Union, United Kingdom), Håvard B. ØVREGÅRD (Adviser, Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports, Norway), Richard FEWKES (National Coordinator Non-Recent Child Sexual Abuse, NPCC – Operation Hydrant, UK), Anton Toni Klancnik and Cathal Delaney (EUROPOL – European Cyber Crime Centre) and Dieter Braekeveld & Uri Sadeh (INTERPOL).
Further information on the webinar and its conclusions are available at https://rm.coe.int/43-conclusions-cc-webinar-criminal-checks-14062021/1680a2dcb7
On June 15, and 16 June 2021, the annual joint meeting of the EPAS Governing Board and the Consultative Committee was held online to discuss the EPAS programme of activities. The new elected members of the EPAS Governing Board are Alexandre Husting (Chair, Luxembourg), Andrea Carletti (Vice-Chair, Italy) Alexey Morozov (Region 1, Russian Federation), François Tricarico (Region 2, Belgium), Viktoria Slavkova (Region 3, Bulgaria), Kolë Gjeloshaj (Representative of the Consultative Committee, ISF) and Tone Jagodic (Representative of the Consultative Committee, EOC). During the meeting, the revised European Sports Charter was approved to be transmitted to the Committee of Ministers for possible adoption during the next fall.
Further information on the meeting is available at https://www.coe.int/en/web/sport/-/2021-annual-meeting-of-the-epas-governing-board-and-consultative-committee
The virtual EU Sport Forum 2021 ‘Towards a healthier, resilient and sustainable European sport’ was held on June 8 and 9. More than 500 participants attended the presentations and workshops and interacted in surveys on the different topics addressed during the sessions.
Ms Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, opened the event, followed by the speeches of Mr Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee; Mr Tiago Brandao Rodrigues, Portuguese Minister of Education; and Mr Tomasz Frankowski, MEP and Co-Chair of the Sport Group of the European Parliament.
The first day included the plenary session on ’How can sport be environmentally friendly?’, two workshops ‘Ready, steady, go. Off the blocks for a new start!’, and ‘The impact of COVID-19 on coaches and athletes: challenges’ and the ‘Update on the new Erasmus+ Programme by the European Commission’.
The second day started with the welcome of the Commissioner Ms Mariya Gabriel to the first plenary session ‘A healthy lifestyle for all – teaming up to achieve it’, which was followed by two workshops ‘How can sport and physical activity better contribute to a healthier society?‘ and ‘#BeEqual: How to move towards more gender balance in the sport sector?’ At the end of the event, Commissioner Ms Mariya Gabriel offered the concluding remarks.
The programme and the video recordings of the event are available at:
To disseminate the outcomes of the EU Collaborative Partnership “More Than Gold’ (603346-EPP-1-2018-1-LV-SPO-SCP)”, the fourth EAS Virtual Cafè attracted around 50 European dual career experts.
Raluca Mihaela Onose, lecturer at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Romanian Partner of the More than Gold Project, moderated the contributions of Nuno Laurentino and Paolo Bouquet. They presented the vision and organization of dual career in Portugal and Italy, respectively.
As a former Olympic swimmer in 1996 and 2000, Vice-President of the Portuguese Swimming Federation, and member of the Olympic Athletes’ Commission, Mr Laurentino is currently Deputy of the Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, which strongly supports a dual career in Portugal. He illustrated the origin, evolution and successful outcomes of the dual career at the Portuguese high school level, which represents a recognized best practice also at the international level. Mr Laurentino also presented the new challenges to enhance dual career paths at the university level, necessary to meet the recent national law supporting dual career at tertiary education.
Prof. Paolo Bouquet illustrated the three-level dual career programme at the Italian University of Trento, which considers sports as an opportunity for the academic community at large. In particular, this university will be involved in the 2026 winter Olympics, which represent a tremendous chance for the development of the whole region and innovative approaches in and through sports. In this vein, the University of Trento organized the Italian network of universities interested in sports issues. Specific to dual career, the official website of the UNISPORT Italia allows student-athletes to filter according to their expectations and needs the dual-career programmes offered at Italian higher institutions.
Towards the end of the event, the 18th EAS Annual Conference to be held face-to-face in Lisbon next September 20-23, 2021, was presented and participants were invited to submit abstracts on dual career activities.
THE 2021 EAS CAFè will come back In the fall term.
Bengt Nybelius, together with Risto Keskitalo, the founder of the European Athlete as Student Network (EAS), was a brilliant mind, who settled the objectives and the structure of the organisation in 2004. He passed away in 2011, and EAS decided to establish a scholarship to carry on the legacy of his work. Therefore, we are happy to announce the Call for Paper of the “2021 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship”
Originating fro
m the findings of the EU Collaborative Partnership “Media as a channel of Athletes’ Dual Careers promotion and education (EdMedia, 603456-EPP-1-2018-1-LT-SPO-SCP)”, the third EAS Virtual Cafè attracted around 80 European dual career experts.
Andrej Pisl, Communications and Projects Manager at European University Sports Association – EUSA and Member of the Ed Media Collaborative Partnership, illustrated the aims of the project and its educational platform (https://www.lsu.lt/en/project-edmedia/edmedia-online-platform/), which could be useful for both student-athletes and media professionals. He also moderated the contributions of Andreas Küttel and Flavia Guidotti, who presented their personal experiences as athletes and coach, respectively.
Andreas Küttel, former Swiss ski-jumping world champion and five-time Olympic athlete, presented his personal experience and claimed that student-athletes can benefit from unveiling their academic career to better attract the attention of the media and general public. As an Assistant Professor at SDU, and sports psychological consultant, he also recognized the need to educate student-athletes on the role of media and social media to construct a positive image including also their dual career.
Flavia Guidotti, former volleyball player and actual physical trainer of the AO THIRAS Santorini Volleyball team (Greece), focused on the role of dual career in team sports that provide limited revenues to athletes if any. As a dual career expert, she presented her experience with elite athletes as students, who previously lacked support at the sport and academic level. In considering the role model of successful student-athletes crucial for youth athletes, Flavia envisaged a wise use of media and social media to spread the message that the combination of elite sport and academic career is achievable.
Petra Robnik, Head of Athletes Career Centre / Secretary of Slovenian Olympians Association at Olympic Committee of Slovenia, commented thatproper communication can be beneficial not only for athletes but also for different dual career stakeholders, who could profit from information on successful dual career programmes and the outcomes of dual career projects.
Flowing a general discussion, Andrej Pisl summarized the outcomes of the café and invited the participants to attend the fourth EAS Virtual Cafè to be organized next June and the Annual Conference to be held next September in Lisbon, European Capital of Sport 2021.
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Email: info@dualcareer.eu