

On January 30, 2024, the EAS President Laura Capranica and Treasurer Mojca Doupona attended with more than 500 participants the Erasmus+ Sport InfoDay organized in Brussels, with others following the event in an streaming modality. Recordings of the main sessions are available at https://www.eacea.ec.europa.eu/news-events/events/info-session-erasmus-sport-2024-2024-01-30_en, whereas further information on the Erasmus+ Programme is available in the Guide provided in 24 languages at https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-programme-guide.
European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) Acting Director opened the event with Mrs. Iliana Ivanova (European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) and Mr. Pierre-Yves Jeholet (representative of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council).
Two plenary sessions were scheduled in the morning, whereas in the afternoon three parallel session and a final plenary session were organized. In the first plenary session, Yves Le Lostecque (Head of Erasmus+ Mundus & Sport Unit, EACEA), Gael Broze (Head of Erasmus+ Sport Sector, EACEA) and Mr. Luciano Di Fonzo, (Deputy Head of Erasmus+ Mundus & Sport Unit, EACEA) introduced the ERASMUS+ Sport Programme, whereas Pawel Jesien (Polish Athletic Association) and Hebe Schaillee (Free University of Brussels) reported their experiences. In the second plenary session, Florencia Van Houdt, (Head of Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission), Milena de Murga, (Union of Sport Federations of Catalunya), Carlotta Giussani (European Olympic Committee EU Office), Vassos Koutsidoundas (Cyprus Sports Organisation) and Anna Merlini (Italian Canoe Kajak Federation) addressed the Erasmus+ Sport Policy priorities.
In the afternoon, the three parallel sessions focused on how to apply for Erasmus+ KA2 sport actions, on how to present project proposals, and on how to present a Capacity Building proposals. Among the EU funding opportunities in sports presented in the last plenary session, the Share 2.0 initiative was explained by Luciano Di Fonzo (Deputy Head of Erasmus+ Mundus & Sport Unit at EACEA) and Olivier Smith (Deputy Head of Unit Sport Policy at DG EAC of the European Commission); the Erasmus+ KA1 mobility of sport staff was illustrated by Violeta Birzniece (Sport Unit at DG EAC of the European Commission), and the Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions in the field of sport were described by Izabela Pelczynska (Erasmus+ Sport Sector at EACEA presented Pilot Projects and Preparatory Actions in the field of sport).
Iban Garcia del Blanco (Member of the European Parliament) and Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen (Director General of DG EAC of the European Commission) highlighted the increased budget allocated to sport-specific EU policies in practices, and the growing interest and variety of applications to the funding opportunities in sports.
A special recognition was attributed to Yves Le Lostecque (Head of Erasmus+ Mundus & Sport Unit at EACEA and former Head of Sport Unit at DG EAC of the European Commission), who announced his retirement after having greatly contributed to the development of key European sport initiatives.
The deadline for ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Parnerships and Capacity Building project applications is March 5, 2024.
Croatian Academic Sports Federation (CASF/HASS), with the support of the European University Sports Association (EUSA), academic and other partners, hosted the first “4 Healthy Academic Society” conference in Poreč, Croatia on June 8 -9, 2023.
The conference was opened with the welcoming words of the CASF President and EUSA 1st Vice-President Mr Haris Pavletic and EUSA President, Mr Adam Roczek.
The conference showcased a significant step towards creating a healthier and more active academic environment that will benefit the physical and mental health of students, academics, and professionals. It was the place where multiple scientific presentations and papers were presented, knowledge shared, important data showcased, and networks strenghtened. This conference emphasized the importance of physical exercises and health, while addressing a broad range of topics related also to dual career.
Prof. Mojca Doupona (EAS ex-com member) was a keynote speaker. She gave presentation entitled “From EU guidelines on dual career to useful practical tools for student athletes”, emphasizing important best practice examples, projects related to the topic of dual career(i.e. Brava DC, TALENT, Compath, Paralimits), as well as sharing knowledgeable examples of her expertise, extensive research involvement, and strategic leadership experience.
On the topic of Dual career and academic sport, the attendees had the chance to hear and see study and research data of athletes’ Croatian Career Centre, analysis of the current situation and trends in competitive and recreative university sport, the importance of information in the system of academic sports, as well as new strategies to improve employment opportunities and sports event quality in Europe.
On May 2-3, 2023, the EU Sport Forum of the European Commission was organized in Stockholm during the Swedish Presidency of the European Union, also streamed online. Traditionally, EAS participates to this important event with many key sports organisations.
Paulina Modlitba, Member of the board of UN Women Sweden, moderated the welcome session opened by an online message of Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth. Jakob Forssmed, Swedish Minister for Social Affairs and Health, and Tomasz Frankowski, Member of the European Parliament and Co-chair of European Parliament Sport group, who introduced the themes of the event focused on integrity, good governance and gender equality. During the event, also the sustainability of sporting events, the role of sport for physical and mental health, and the development of skills and competences of sportspersons were addressed.
Philipp Lahm and Célia Šašić, respectively Director and Ambassador of the UEFA Euro 2024 event, emphasised the relevant role of sports events in presenting the European sport values and sustainable development.
During the first panel, Viviane Hoffmann (Deputy Director-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture – DG EAC), Bjørn Berge (Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe), Sarah Keane (President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland), Stefan Bergh (President of ENGSO), and Barbara Fuertes (Representative of the Spanish Presidency) discussed the policies, strategies, and good practices on Women in Sport: Form Grassroots to Leadership.
Positive samples of European initiative in sport were granted the 2023 #BeInclusive EU Sport awards, which encompass the categories “Breaking Barriers”, “BeEqual”, and “Sport for Peace”, given to Free Movement Skateboarding (Greece), Kayak Club Zlatorog (Slovenia), amd Youth Line Portugal (Portugal), respectively.
In her key speech Catherine Chabaud, Member of the European Parliament, reported her experiences as a sailor having concerns to preserve the ocean environment and to limit climate changes.
The second panel addressed Integrity in Sport. Olivier Niggli (Director General of WADA), Paquerette Girard-Zappelli (Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer of the IOC), Vincent Ven, Head of Anti Match Fixing of UEFA), and Tine Vertommen (Researcher at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences) debated the role of education and prevention to enhance ethical issues and good governance, and to avoid corruption, doping, and harassment.
Two 3-parallel sessions completed the first day. In particular, dual career of the sportsperson was discussed within the “Sport skills, a lifelong competence” session moderated by Ignazio Cocchiere (Policy Officer, Sport Unit) and panellists Claudia Bokel, former Chair of the IOC Athletes’ Commission) Laurent Petrynka, President of the ISF, Saga Fredriksson, Football player at Malmo FFM, and Sergio Lara-Bercial, Vice President of ICC E. Dual career was also addressed during the beginning of the second day with the two keynote speeches of Maja Poljak and Cédric Van Branteghem, former athletes from Croatia and Belgium, respectively.
Floor van Houdt (Head of the Sport Unit of the European Commission) and Luciano Di Fonzo (Deputy Head of Unit for Erasmus Mundus and Sport of EACEA) illustrated the main events, initiatives and funding opportunities of the European calls is sport. In particular, around 359 Erasmus+ projects are expected to be funded, in addition to the novel mobility actions in sport. The Youth Lab provided some ideas regarding Healthy Lifestyle 4 All, whereas Viviane Hoffmann, Deputy Director-General of DG EAC) of the European Commission offered the closing remarks. More information on the event is available at https://eusportforum2023.eu. You will find all the recording of the plenary session as well as the #BeInclusive Awards here. More pictures of the event can be found here.
EAS Online Cafè was held online December 5, 2022
AGENDA
12:00 Welcome
Prof. Daniele Conte, PhD – University of Rome Foro Italico and Lithuanian Sports University.
12:10 Hakon Ege – ELCAMP Project: A Self-employment Career Option for Athletes: Sports Entrepreneurship Bootcamp
Håkon Ege performed Teakwondo professionally for 12 years. After his sporting career, he started to work as a researcher, lecturer and project manager in different organizations such as universities and non-governmental organizations. He is working on encouraging and empowering individuals and organisations to be more innovative and entrepreneurial in and through sport so that they can design, develop and initiate actions that address socio-economic and planetary needs. In 2018, he launched Collective Innovation, an impact-driven initiative to foster and drive innovation in Norway and Europe.
12:25 Sinan Güler – Giving Back to Sports and Innovation
Sinan Güler is a former national basketball player with a 16-year basketball career, winning the league championships and league cup championships, as well as the 2nd place in the World Cup with the National Team in 2010 and the EuroCup with Galatasaray in 2016. In 2011, he started a social initiative called Güler Legacy with his older brother Muratcan Güler, who is also a former basketball player, and his father Necati Güler. Since 2012, he has been doing important work in the field of startup ecosystem, as an angel investor and mentor. Since 2020 he has been interested in sports technologies & innovation.
12:40 Morten Munch Mindegaard – The ATLas project on Dual Career Entrepreneurship
Dual Career Adviser at the Enterprise and Innovation – Innovation and Entrepreneurship (The Kitchen)
of the University of Aarhus. Aarhus University and The Kitchen is part of the Erasmus+ course AtLAS, which is an entrepreneurial course tailor-made for elite athletes who have the opportunity to test themselves in an entrepreneurial context.
12:55 General discussions and concluding Remarks
On December 1, 2022, Prof. Dr. Diana Rėklaitienė, Rector of the Lithuanian Sports University (Kaunas, Lithuania), Linas Obcarskas, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and Einius Petkus, Director of Olympic Sports at the Lithuanian Olympic Committee welcomed the participants to the LSU Sport Forum-International Scientific Conference 2022. This annual event addressed relevant issues in the area of sport five lectures the followed by panel discussions, especially focusing on good governance, sport integrity, the rights of the sportspersons, challenges of paralympic athletes, and sustainable development of sports. Participation was organized in presence and in streaming.
mber 1, 2022, Prof. Dr. Diana Rėklaitienė, Rector of the Lithuanian Sports University (Kaunas, Lithuania), Linas Obcarskas, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and Einius Petkus, Director of Olympic Sports at the Lithuanian Olympic Committee welcomed the participants to the LSU Sport Forum-International Scientific Conference 2022. This annual event addressed relevant issues in the area of sport five lectures the followed by panel discussions, especially focusing on good governance, sport integrity, the rights of the sportspersons, challenges of paralympic athletes, and sustainable development of sports. Participation was organized in presence and in streaming.
Mr. Mindaugas Spokas, former Olympian and Head of the National Agency for Sport illustrated the main objectives to implement the Lithuanian’s sports policy in the fields of Olympic and Paralympic sports and physical activity. Through its funding opprotunities, the Agency will help sports federations and organisations to introduce and strengthen good governance principles, ensure the athletes’ rights, provide infrastructures and the Centre of Excellence of Sport. Prof. Antanas Skarbalius (Lithuanian Sports University) moderated the panel discussion with Mr. Linas Obcarskas, Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Mr. Einus Petrkus, Director of the Olympic Sports at the Lithuanian Olympic Cmmittee, Mr. Darius Šalūga, President of the Lithuanian Union of Sports Federations, Mr. Gintaras Jasiūnas, President of the Association of Heads of Sports Divisions of Lithuanian Municipalities, Dr. Nerijus Masiulis, President of the Lithuanian Sport for All Association, and Mr. Mindaugas Bilius, President of the Lithuanian Paralympic Committee.
Mr. Steve Menary, journalist and writer expert of sports integrity and governance presented the findings of the Erasmus+ project Combating Match Fixing in Club Football Non-Competitive Matches and the Devil on Data scheme on the identification of match-fixing and suspicious betting in club friendly matches in Europe. Mr. Menary illustrated how friendly soccer games could enter the betting markets due to a lack of regulations and interest from data companies. Mr. Steve Menary joined the second paned discussion on the importance of good governance in preventing match fixing with Mrs. Kornelija Tiesnesytė, Advisor at the Lithuanian Anti-Doping Agency, Mrs. Ramunė Bistrickaitė, Head of the Fair Play Unit of the Lithuanian Football Federation, which was moderated by Prof. Edvinas Eimontas, Head of the Sports Department of the Lithuanian Sports University.
Prof. Laura Capranica, University of Rome Foro Italico and President of EAS, presented the challenges of co-creation of sports values with multiple stakeholders, emphasized the networking opportunities provided by the ERASMUS+ programme to implement gender equality in sports and to develop dual career at academic and labour market levels, and highlighted the need to develop knowledge-base monitoring and evaluations systems. Dr. Aida Gaižauskienė, Lecturer at the Lithuanian Sports University, moderated the panel discussion on dual career and gender equality with Laura Capranica, Mr. Egidijus Genotis, Head of the International Relations and Projects of the Association of Professional Footballers, and Mrs. Austra Skujytė, PhD student of the Lithuanian Sports University, former Olympic athlete and track and field coach.
Offering a multi-dimensional perspective including exercise physiology, biomechanics and ergonomics, Prof. Yves C. Vanlandewijck, Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) and GIH Stockholm (Sweden) presented the challenges of paralympic athletes and the critical aspects in adapt ports categories to ensure fair competitions. Mr. Edvinas Kriūnas, President of the Lithuanian Deaf Sport Committee, Mr. Kęstutis Skučas, Head of the Lithuanian Sport Federation for Disabled, Mrs. Vaida Pokvytytė, Head of Kaunas Recreation and Sports Club for Disabled joined Prof. Vanlandewijck in the following paned discussion, which was moderated by Prof. Jūratė Požėrienė, Lithuanian Sports University.
The possible problems and solution of sustainable development of sports were presented by Prof. Karin Book, Head of the Sport Management Programme at the Malmö University. With a human geography approach, Prof. Book focused on physical environmental, accessibility, and sustainability of organized and recreational sports and physical activities. The final panel discussion was moderated by Prof. Artūras Simanavičius, Lithuanian Sports University,
Participants of the discussion: Mr. Ignas Gibas, Project Manager of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, and Mr. Giedrius Grybauskas, Executive Director of the National Basketball League (NKL).
Video recordings of the 2022 LSU Sport Forum are available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVKX-pqCdFo
On October 24, the Members of the Italian Olympic Athletes’ Committee organized the national forum “Stronger together” at the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) in Rome. Claudia Giordani – Vice President of CONI, Silvia Salis – Deputy Vice President of CONI, representatives various National Sports Federations and Associated Sports Disciplines, Paolo Bouquet – President of UnisportItalia, and Laura Capranica – President of EAS attended the event.
The Secretary General of CONI, Carlo Mornati opened the Forum, which aimed to foster a democratic representation of athletes at the level of all the national sports federations, and to raise the awareness of the activities and projects carried out by the Italian Olympic Athletes’ Committee.
Giovanni Malagò, President of the Olympic Committee and IOC Member, emphasized the benefits of engaging athletes in the decision boards of sports bodies to advance the Italian sports culture and highlighted the successful athletic outcomes in several sports disciplines of the last two years.
Federica Pellegrini, swimmer champion and Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), testified the relevant role and aims of the Athletes’ IOC Committee, and encouraged all the sports federations to listen to the athletes’ voices by establishing their Commission. In fact, athletes are the key players of sports. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a strong community for sharing initiatives and for creating synergies with all the sports actors.
The President of the Italian Olympic Athlete’s Committee Raffaella Masciardi (basketball), and the Vice-President Carlo Molfetta (taekwondo) presented the role, aims, and Members of the ExCom including Antonella Del Core (volleyball and Member of the Executive Board of CONI), Paolo Pizzo (fencing and Member of the Executive Board of CONI), Francesco Marrai (sailing), Elena Pantaleo (kombat sport), Anna Cappellini (ice skating), Francesco Pellgrino (sking), Tatiana Andreoli (archery), and Paolo Lorenzi (tennis) as elected Members, as well as Cristina Lenardon (handball) and Sara Gama (soccer) as co-opted members.
Then, four initiatives of the Italian Olympic Athletes’ Committee were illustrated and discussed: 1) “Financial education and sport” aimed to educate athletes on sound economic management, financial planning, savings, economics, and self-entrepreneurial capability; 2) “The national dual career guidelines” developed in cooperation with Unisport Italia, and the Universiyty Sport Association (CUSI) to be disseminated and to be adopted by all the sports bodies and higher educational institutions; 3) ”MyLLENNIUM AWARD – MySPORT” dedicated to Dual Career athletes under 30 years of age presenting projects on entrepreneurship, creative writing, training, or communication; and 4) “Excellent Student Excellent Athlete” award to reward successful experiences in sports and education, which need to be disseminated to all the athletes’ community.
In considering that Italy is lacking structured measures and arrangements, the Stronger Together forum represents a great opportunity to establish fruitful cooperation and synergies between sports bodies, educational institutions, for-profit companies, and media for the benefit of the sportspersons.
To note, the Vice-President Carlo Molfetta and the Member of the CONI ExCom Paolo Pizzo have benefited of the dual career programme at the University of Rome Foro Italico.
On September 28-30, the Univesidad Catolica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) hosted the 2022 EAS Annual Conference “A Holistic Approach to the Dual Career of the Student Athlete”. In being at the forefront of European Dual Career, UCAM participates in several ERASMUS+ Sport Partnerships, promoted a special issue in its scientific journal Cultura, Ciencia y Deporte, and is the University with the highest number of student-athletes winning medals at the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2021. At the Roman Theatre Museum of Cartagena, the Dean of the Faculty of Sport at UCAM Ms. Lourdes Meroño García, the President of EAS Ms. Laura Capranica, the President of the Organising Committee at UCAM Mr. Juan Alfonso García Roca, and the Delegate Councillor of Tourism of the Cartagena City Council Ms. Cristina Pérez Carrasco welcomed the participants.
Ms. Floor van Houdt (Head of Unit for Sport, DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture) and Mr. David Kunst (Policy Officer for Evidence & Analysis, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) presented online the opportunities for sports and employment at the European Commission, whereas Ms. Francine Hetherington Raveney (Deputy Executive Secretary of the EPAS) reported on the actions in the field of sports at the Council of Europe.
Dual career perspectives of the European Sports Organizations were offered by Mr. Andrej Pišl – Communications and Projects Manager at the European University Sports Association (EUSA); Mr. Philippe Housiaux – President of the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM); Ms. Teodora Pletosu – EU Affairs and Public Projects Specialist at Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The dual career viewpoints of International Sports Organizations were provided by Mr. Kole Gjeloshaj – Director of Institutional and Educational Affairs at International School Sport Federation (ISF); Mr. Bill Thomson – Education Committee Member at International University Sports Federation (FISU) and Mr. Joerg Foerster – Chair Shareholder Committee Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU Games gGmbH; and Mr. David Cabello – Executive Board Member of the Badminton World Federation (BWF).
The EAS Conference was also the occasion for the signing of an important Memorandum of Understanding between the ISF and EAS on common dual career interests and close cooperation between the two organisations.
During the first session on dual career best practices and research, the 2022 Bengt Nybelius Scholarship has been awarded to Dr. Andrea Fusco from the University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale, who presented research findings on dual career relocating elite coaches.
At the end of the first day, the participants contributed to the first workshop of the ERASMUS+Sport BRAnd Values Alignment through Dual Career (BRAVA-DC, 622824-EPP-1-2020-1-IE-SPO-SCP), which required to grade the importance and feasibility of 50 statements on the enhancement of the European workplace environment so the circumstances and challenges of dual career employee-sportspersons can more effectively be accommodated.
On the second day, the event was organized at the UCAM Cartagena Campus and was opened by Mr. Alejandro Leiva Arcas – Secretary of the Faculty of Sport, who reported the strategies and experiences for the promotion of Dual Career of student-athletes. Then, Mr. Sergio López Andújar (General Secretary of the Spanish Futsal Players Association, AJFS) moderated a round table with UCAM dual career athletes (Mr. Agassi Goantara – Indonesian International Basket Player), paralympic athletes (Mr. Gerard Descarrega – Paralympic 400m Gold Medalist; and Mr. Guillermo Rojo – International Athlete and Guide of Mr. Gerard Descarrega), and coaches (Antonio Peñalver – University Professor, International Athletics Coach, Decathlon Silver Olympic Medalist; and Mr. Rafael Alcaraz – International Taekwondo Coach of Olympic and Paralympic athletes).
A second workshop of the BRAVA-DC project was organized to allow the participants to group the 50 statements into categories in terms of meanings according to their individual logic. The expertise and knowledge of the participants in the first and second BRAVA-DC workshops have been considered very valuable in assisting during the development of European guidelines which support Dual Career in the workplace and facilitate appropriate brand alignment strategies and Corporate Social Responsibility policies.
During the annual General Assembly, Mr. Ole Keldorf, Secretary General, summarized the main activities and achievements of the organisation, as well as the financial results. Despite the 2019-2022 quadrennium presented several unexpected challenges, EAS managed to increase its activities organizing online cafès on different dual career aspects of the sportspersons, contributed to the finalization and progression of European ERASMUS+ Sport Partnerships, co-authored several scientific publications, and participated in European cultural and sports events. The delegates also elected the Board for the new 4-year mandate, confirming Ms. Laura Capranica (Italy) in the position of the President, and Ms. Mojca Doupona (Slovenia), Mr. Ole Keldorf (Denmark), Mr. Ilvis Abelkalns (Latvia), Mr. Antonio Sanchez-Pato (Spain), Ms. Laurence BONDEL (France), Mr. Antonio FIGUEIREDO (Portugal) as Members of the Executive Board, which is complemented by the permanent positions of Mr. Risto Keskitalo (Finland) and Mr. Tibor Kozsla (Hungary) as Founder and Honorary President, respectively.
The third day of the event took place in the Roman Theatre Museum of Cartagena and encompassed the second session dedicated to dual career best practices and research, and to Erasmus+Sport projects (e.g., SPRINGBOARD, Athlete Counsellors Against Match Fixing, ELCAMP, Para-limits).
Participants had plenty opportunities to interact and to exchange ideas for future dual career projects and collaborations during the conference breaks, lunches, dinners, the tour to the Roman Theater, and the Tourist Boat trip. The large delegation of Finnish Rectors and the Brazilian participants substantiated the EAS Conference as 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 UCAM staff for their amazing work in organizing such a grand final of the 2019-2022 quadrennium. The 2023-2026 quadrennium is already on the move, with the EAS Members looking forward to the 2023 and 2024 EAS Conferences to be held in Gaeta, Italy, and in Katowice, Poland, respectively.
On June 16-17, 2022, the EAS President Laura Capranica, the EAS Treasurer Mojca Dupona, and several EAS Members and Project partners attended the 2022 EU Sport Forum “European Sport: fair, inclusive and fit for a sustainable future” in Lille, France. Organized by the European Commission in cooperation with the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the event attracted around 400 policy makers from the Member States, sport bodies, and European networks willing to exchange views on the actual and future policies based on the principles of the European sports model.
Ms Mariya Gabriel (European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth) opened the Forum, followed by the speeches of Mr Vadym Huttsait (Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine) and Mr Sergey Bubka (unforgettable pole vault champion and actual President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine), who received a standing ovation as a sign of solidarity.
During the first day, the new HealthyLifeStyle4All pledges were signed and two high-level panel sessions were organized to discuss the ‘European Sport: Fair, inclusive and fit for the future (Moderated by Commissioner Gabriel) and the ‘Sustainable sport: Delivering on the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus’ (Moderated by Mr Brian Maguire). Participants were also presented the Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2024 & Rugby World Cup 2023.
During the second day, the agenda included four parallel sessions (e.g., key principles and values of a European Sport Model; Empowering athletes; Drive equality, diversity & inclusion in sport; The role of sport in defending and promoting European fundamental values). During the session dedicated to the empowerment of the athletes, particular emphasis was placed on the relevant outcomes of the dual career ERASMUS+ projects focused on basketball (Time-out), dual career service providers (STARTING11), and parenting dual career athletes (EMPATIA). Furthermore, during her involvement as a panellist in the session on the European values of sports, Prof. Mojca Doupona (EAS Treasurer and General Director of Slovenia) underlined the need to support the holistic development of athletes combining sports and education/work careers. Towards the end of the event, presentations on the European Commission’s initiatives on sport & Erasmus+ by Mrs Floor van Houdt (Head of the Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission) and Mr Luciano Di Fonzo (Deputy Head of Erasmus Mundus, Sport, European Education and Culture Executive Agency), on the role of school sport for empowering youth by Mr Laurent Petrynka (President of the International School Sport Federation), and feedback from the participants to the HealthyLifeStyle4All Youth Ideas Labs were offered. In particular, the Youth Ideas Labs is a new initiative launched for the European Year of Youth with delegates nominated by 5 organizations (ENGSO Youth, Erasmus Students Network – ESN, European Solidarity Network, European University Sports Association – EUSA, and Marie Curie Alumni).
Mr Filip Neusser (President of the National Sport Agency of the Czech Republic) and Mrs Viviane Hoffmann (Deputy Director General of DG EAC of the European Commission) provided the closing remarks.
The event was also live-streamed and recordings will be available at https://www.eusportforum2022.eu
The largest international multi-sport event for 16-18 years old school students
events.isfsports.org
|