NEWS
On November 21 the Final Conference of the Sports as Value project has been held in Pristina (Kosovo) under the framework of the European Sports Platform “Values of sport: building bridges in a united Europe”, hosted by the National Olympic Committee of Kosovo.
In involving 9 partners from 8 countries from the EU and the Balkan region, the ERASMUS+Sport Capacity-Building project “Sports as Value”coordinad by ENGSO aimed to build the capacity of sport clubs, organizations and federations for integrating positive values fr om the grassroots to the elite sports practice in a structured, dynamic, and systematic way.
The University of Pristina in cooperation with EAS collected novice data through several surveys administered to different stakeholders of sport organizations in the Balkan countries. In sharing good practices in value-based approaches, the individuals’ development in and through sports has been envisaged including dual career of sportspersons.
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 Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
On November 16th, 2024, EAS was invited to the EUSA celebration of its 25th Anniversary at the monumental site of the University of Vienna, Austria. Th event was organized by the Austrian University Sports Organization and the University of Vienna. The EUSA President, Mr. Adam Roczek, welcomed the EUSA members, the local authorities, the invited guests, and the speakers.
The opening session included a video message by the Austrian Federal Ministry for for Education, Science and Research, Mr. Martin Polaschek, speeches by Prof. Nikolaus Hautsch, Vice-Rector of the University of Vienna and Mr. Leonz Eder, President of the International University Sports Federation contributed to the opening session, and a video message by Mr Spyros Capralos, President of the European Olympic Committees. In line with the Association’s aims of active lifestyles, Mr. Matjaz Pecovnik, EUSA Secretary General, engaged in a 20-min cycling during which he effectively presented the 25-year EUSA work, challenges, milestones, and achievements.
Mr. Lorenz Ursprung moderated the first panel addressing the role of sports in the future of European society. Mr. Adam Roczek, EUSA President; Mr. Leonz Eder, FISU President; Mrs. Filipa Godinho, Pro-Rector of the University of Coimbra; Mr. Michael Wiederer, President of the European Handball Federation; and Prof. Nikolaus Hautsch, Vice-Rector of the University of Vienna not only discussed numerous aspects of the crucial role of sports in higher education, but also envisioned possible development of university sport events and dual career as crucial strategies to implement the actual reality of students as sportspersons and the future life of European citizens. Furthermore, the panel highlighted the importance for higher educational institutions to increase their visibility through the participation in the EUSA University Games and Championships and the university dual career and sports policies. The video on the long-time promotion of healthy, active student community at the University of Vienna and the evidence of the EUSA Games legacy at the University of Coimbra further substantiated the relevance of the common efforts to enhance university sports in Europe. In this regard, the ERASMUS+Sport projects DiscoverU – Discovering university sport and supporting dual career (https://erasmus plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134052) coordinated by EUSA and Find Me – University Dual Career Opportunities (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134043) coordinated by the University of Nis could be extremely helpful to advance the European sport discourse at university level.
Mr. Arnold Baca, Head of the Centre for Sports Science and University Sports at the University of Vienna moderated the second panel focused on grassroots and healthy sports at higher institutions. Mr. Elmar Pichl, General Director for Universities in the Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research; Prof. Siegfried Walch, MCI Entrepreneurial School Innsbruck; and the athlete as student Ms. Julia Pocksteiner presented possible implementation of university sports to support the need of active lifestyles for the physical and mental health of nowadays students and future professionals.
The ceremony of the EUSA Annual Awards prized several institutions. The Most Active National University Sports Association award was given to the German University Sports Federation (ADH) (accepted by Mr Joerg Forster, President of ADH and founder of EAS), and to the French University Sports Federation (accepted by Mr Cedric Terret, President of the French University Sports Federation). The University of Zagreb received both the Best University Award and the Most Active University Award for winning the highest number of medals across the European Universities Championships and for participating with the highest of athletes (accepted by Prof. Jasenka Ostojic, Vice-Rector of the University of Zagreb; and by by Ms Sanja Curkovic, Vice President of the Zagreb Academic Sports Federation, respectively). Mr. Marin Furcic, (Director) received a Medal of Appreciations for the long-term professional management collaboration of Furki Sport with EUSA, whereas the women’s futsal team of the University of Coimbra was awarded the Enno Harms Fair Play Award, for its outstanding behaviour during an EUSA game in Split, Croatia (received by Mr Renato Daniel Simoes, and Mr Diogo Jorge Lopes from the Coimbra Academic Association).
More information is available at https://www.eusa.eu/outstanding-eusa-conference-2024-held-in-vienna
The 25th Anniversary Gala dinner was held at the Palais Liechtenstein in Vienna, during which the Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra and the Svabek Dance School offered suggestive performances in connection with such a magnificent location. At the end of the 25th year EUSA celebration, awards and gifts were exchanged to signify the long standing dedication in support of the European University Sports. In particular, Mr. Ants Veetousme (Past President of the Estonian Academic Sports Assication), and Prof. Yevgeniy Imas (posthumously – President of the Sports Students’ Union of Ukraine) were attributed the Order of Merit.
More information is available at https://www.eusa.eu/eusa-celebrates-25th-anniversary-with-remarkable-gala
On November 1-2, 2024, EAS has been invited to the 17th ENSE FORUM “Bridging Borders through Sport Education: The Euro-Balkan-Med Perspective, organized by the Sports University of Tirana (Albania).
The event was opened by the Rector Agron Kasa, the Vice Minister of Education and Sport of Albania Endrit Hoxha, and the ENSE President Antonio Tessitore, welcomed the participants.
During the first session focused on Sport Education for Human Rights, Peace and Sport Diplomacy, Cassandra Mactavish (EPAS Senior Project Officer) delivered a keynote on the crucial role of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe in the progression of inclusion, human rights, and values through the revised European sport charter. From the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), Jean-Michel De Waele offered a perspective of sports diplomacy as a strategic tool for the European Union’s soft power and cultural Identity. Matthew Muscat-Inglott (Malta College or Arts, Science and Technology) presented the analogies of sports and chivalric disposition, and Kolë Gjeloshaj (Strategic Coordinator to the President of EFPM) illustrated the aims and activities of the European Fair Play Movement, which celebrated its 30th year of existence, including the permanent Fair Play Calendar and its cooperation with EAS.
Laura Capranica, EAS President, opened the second session dedicated to sport education in dual career. She illustrated the crucial role of international cooperation in the implementation of the European guidelines of dual career for the sports persons through finalized and the further advancements throough the ongoing ERASMUS+Sport Collaborative Patnerships Talent- Cloud-based education for creative sport talents (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101090147); Smart Start for DC to encourage the dual career of young high school athletes aged 14 and 19 (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101133555); COMPATH – Promoting Employability of Young Student-Athletes through ‘‘Competence Hub on Sport Innovation’’ (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101050955); DiscoverU – Discovering university sport and supporting dual career (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134052) Discover university sport and dual career support (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134052); Find Me – University Dual Career Opportunities (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134043); DCMENTOR – Advancing Athlete Employability through Career Mentorship and Education (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101132309); and the Capacity Building Sports as Value – Building of sport managers and coaches in Balkan region to promote values in and through sport (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101093451). The dual career session proceeded with the presentation by Masar Gjaka (UBT College), Winner of the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship, who disclosed the current state and future perspective of dual career in the Republic of Kosovo; Heli Kesämaa (Southern-Eastern Finland University of Applied Science), who illustrated the study proposal of mentor growth and competency building within the GEIN project; and was concluded by Karl Grech (The Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology), who presented a grounded theory study for mentorship as a lifelong developmental relationship for coaches.
The following sessions focused on Physical activity for Health and Wellbeing Promotion (Chaired by Dhimitraq Prifti and Harald Tschan), Sport Education for Social Inclusion, Integration and Gender Equality (Chaired by Elona Mehmeti and Gemma van Vuuren Cassar), Sport Education in Sport Science and PE curricula (Chaired by Dritan Sallaku and Gaetano Raiola), and Sport Training and physical activity for health and wellbeing promotion (Chaired by Elona Mehmeti and Vera Simões).
The second day encompassed oral presentations focused on Sport Education and Innovation in Sport Coaches (Chaired by Fisnik Brovina and Harald Tschan) and the workshop on ICoachKids with a theoretical part (chaired by Arben Kaçurri and Renzo Kerr-Cumbo) and a practical session.
More information is available at https://ust.edu.al/en/enseforum/
On October 10, 2024, the sports representatives from more than 40 European countries, the associations member of the EPAS Consultative Committee, and a group of youth delegates as part of a specific youth initiative gathered in Porto (Portugal) to attend the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport, during which was celebrated the 10th anniversary of the as Macolin Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
Organized by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) of the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth, the event addressed collaborative strategies for good governance and inclusivity in and through sports. As part of the first day programme, EAS took part in the meeting of the EPAS Consultative Committee, which was followed by a speed date with the youth participants addressing the possible strategies for fostering policies to progress the sports.
The focus of the second day was on collaborative governing and god governance in sports, with special attention to the adaptation of the rules to move forwards. The last day, a focus session on “Leadership through Gender Equality in Sport & Dual Career: Effective Strategies and Future Directions” was organized with onsite and online modalities. Following a thoruogh discussion on gender equality, the dual career issue was opened by Vitor Pardal (National Coordinator of the High Performance Sports Unit in School, Portugal), who delivered the keynote speech Reconciling School and Sports Success in Portugal focused on the good practice of the UUARE high school programme with 80% of academic success of athletes compared to all students.
Before moderating the dual career panel discussion, the EAS President summarized the 20-year journey of the European dual career discourse, starting from the 2004 European Year of Education in and through Sport (EYES), followed by the publication of the White Paper on Sport in 2007 and of the EU Guidelines on Dual Career of Athletes in 2012, the inclusion of dual career as a priority of the ERASMUS+Sport programme, and the extension of dual career to all the sportspersons (e.g., coaches, physical trainers, referees, sports managers, and volunteers) in 2021. She emphasized the usefulness of the European Portal “Erasmus+ Project Results” (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/) which offers the outcomes of the previous ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships. Also the findings of three systematic literature reviews, were highlighted as crucial resources to help the implementation of dual career programmes. In particular, Laura capranica invited the participants to collect the fliers of the ongoing projects Compath, DC Mentor, DiscoverU, Find Me, Smart Start for DC, Sports as Values, and Talent, made available for the participants.
The President also illustrated how EAS contributes to the European dual career discourse through the organization of: an annual conference, two of them organized in Portugal; the fall and spring EAS online cafès, which give voice to sportspersons and experts on specific dual career topics; the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship awarded to the best paper submitted to the annual EAS conference; the collaboration with several dual career actors through European projects; and the networking with educational institutions, sports bodies, and local, national, and European authorities, as well as with dual career associations established beyond Europe, as substantiated by the collaboration with the Associação Brasileira sobre Dupla Carreira Esportiva (ABDC) fostered by EAS Portuguese members. Finally, she urged actions in dual career for all the sportspersons as students and as workers.
During the panel discussion, Duarte Nuno Fernandes Lopez (Chief of Staff, Secretary of State for Sport, Portugal, and organizer of two EAS Conferences in Lisbon) provided his considerations on the benefits of the Portuguese dual career system for high school and universities. Gévrise Emane, (Lifestyle Athletes Manager at the National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance – INSEP, former judo champion, and speaker at a online EAS cafè) discussed how INSEP help athletes in managing the challenges towards long-term success and well-being. Sofia Ramalho (SLBenfica Basketball Female Team Manager, Time out 2.0 Project Manager, International Basketball Federation – FIBA) reported how the crucial aspects of transition from player to team manager helped her supporting athletes in handling dual careers. Andrej Pisl (Communications & Project Manager, European University Sports Association – EUSA, coordinator of the DiscoverU dual career project and speaker at a online EAS Cafè) reminded that EUSA celebrates its 25th anniversary, claimed that university sports id for all students and not only for elite athletes, and reported successful stories of best practices to establish dual career legacy. Andy Criere Martin (Professional surfer and Olympian athlete, and speaker at a online EAS Cafè) illustrated the opportunity to pursue a dual career path by enrolling in an online university, and how the combination of academic studies helped him improving as an athlete and entrepreneur. During the general discussion, the role of parents and coaches and educated dual career service providers were emphasized.
The recording of the gender and dual career event is available at https://www.youtube.com/live/21tdgavFw7M
The 2024 annual EAS Conference and General Assembly have been held face-to-face in Katowice, Poland, on October 1-3, organized by the Academy of Physical Education of Katowice. The 2024 European City of Science welcomed around 70 participants from 17 different countries in presence and others attending online. With its well-developed economy and culture, Katowice was the perfect place to celebrate the 20th anniversary of EAS in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
In the first day, the opening ceremony was introduced by Piotr Rodak, President of the Organizing Committee, followed by EAS President Laura Capranica, Vice Rector of Sport AWF Katowice Adam Zajac, and a video message from MEP and former Olympic athlete Jagna Marczulajtis-Wall, The session was closed by Rajmund Tomik, Conference Director.
Key lectures focused on the AWF – School of Champions by Adam Zajac (Academy of Physical Education in Katowice – AWF); the Erasmus+ funding opportunities on Dual Careers by Izabela Pelczynska from the European Education and Culture Executive Agency – EACEA; the FISU Dual Career programme by Bill Thompson from the Education Committee of the International University Sports Federation (FISU); and the the European Network of Sport Education – ENSE by President Antonio Tessitore, who signed a Memorandum of Understanding between EAS and ENSE.
The Bengt Nybelius Scholarship winner Flavia Guidotti from the University San Raffaele of Rome, Italy, presented the dual career experiences of female soccer players, preceding the EAS 20th anniversary commemoration, led by the EAS founder and Honorary President Risto Keskitalo, who summarized the history and main achievements of the Network.
In the afternoon sessions focused on oral presentations on dual career at university level and a session specifically dedicated to European projects on dual career encompassing: FIND ME: University Dual Career Opportunities (Nenad Stojiljkovic, and Pascal Izzicupo); HEPALIS, An Online Educational Chance (Juan Alfonso Garcia-Roca); DiscoverU – Discovering University Sport and Supporting Dual Career (Andrej Pisl); SAMEurope (Dorothée Brac de la Perrière); Smart Start for DC – Encouraging the Dual Career of Young High School Athletes (Renato Vuk); Talent (Antonino Scardina); and the Capacity Building ‘Sports as Value’ – Societal Impact and Development of Grassroots Sports in the Western Balkans (Faton Tishukaj).
On the second day, the Conference was organized at the Silesian Stadion Slaski in Chorzow, where the panel discussion on Sport in School and University was chaired by Piotr Rodak, with the former Olympian and sport journalist Weronika Nowakowska, the representative of the Academic Sports Association of Poland – AZS Marianna Pikul, Vice-Dean of AWF Katowice Krzysztof Wilusz, and Olympian student-athlete at the AWF Katowice Maciej Wyderka sharing their experiences and commitment for the advancement of dual career in Poland.
Following the sessions dedicated to oral presentations on dual career at high school and university levels, the Annual General Assembly was directed by the EAS Secretary Ole Keldorf. The members approved the activity report presented by the President Laura Capranica and the financial report presented by the Treasurer Mojca Doupona, duly checked by Florentino Huertas and Nenad Stojiljkovic. Furthermore, the Assembly nominated Flavia Guidotti (Telematic University San Raffaele, Italy), Alejandro Alejandro Leiva-Arcas (UCAM, Spain), and Malene Thisgaard Knudsen (Aarhus University, Denmark) as Members of the Next Generation EAS Committee, which will be responsible to assign the 2025 Bengt Nybelius Award and to collaborate to the enhancement of the communication channels of the Network.
At the end of the General Assembly, Romana Caput-Jogunica invited the EAS members to attend the 22nd EAS Conference to be held in Zagreb next 2025 on behalf of the Croatian Olympic Committee and the University of Zagreb, in cooperation with dual career associations.
The participants had also the opportunity to visit the sports infrastructure and facilities of the Stadion Slaski before attending the Gala Dinner having a sky overview the town of Katowice.
During the last day of the Conference, the closing ceremony was organized after a tour at the Guido Mine museum located at 320m underground in Zabrze. The Conference book of abstracts is available at https://eas24.awf.katowice.pl. The Academy of Physical Education in Katowice – AWF is planning to publish a book of the contributions.
As part of the DC Mentor project, the project partners held a meeting on 30th September in Katowice, Poland. The meeting was highly productive in terms of reviewing the project’s current status, completed outputs, and planning future steps.
The meeting began with an opening speech by Aneta Lemiesz. Following that, Gamze Aydin from Sportstech Türkiye provided an update on the outputs completed so far and the ongoing tasks. Håkon Ege from COLIN shared a draft version of the platform developed within the scope of the project, while Rıdvan Cakir from Sportstech Türkiye presented the modules’ interface and structure in detail.
Throughout the meeting, the project partners reviewed each module individually and discussed areas needing improvement. They provided valuable feedback on how the modules could be adapted specifically for young athletes.
One of the key topics of the meeting was the “Mental Toughness” module. It was discussed that this module should be kept separate and its content addressed more specifically.
The meeting also addressed how the platform would be structured, how the modules would function, and innovations to enhance user experience. It was announced that each module would include an “Assessment” section at the end, and participants would receive a certificate after completing the training modules. Videos and PowerPoint presentations will also be included on the platform alongside the modules. All partners will deliver the content related to their modules by the agreed deadlines and continue contributing to the project as it progresses.
At the end of the meeting, there were discussions on dissemination strategies. Additionally, various interactive activities and blog posts were planned for the local promotion of the project.
This project aims to support the academic and athletic development of student-athletes. The educational modules developed within the scope of the project will contribute to enhancing both their personal and professional skills.
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 Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
The Compath Project meeting we held on 17th September in Zagreb, with the participation of all project partners, was completed. The meeting started with an opening speech by Renato Vuk on behalf of PESG. Vuk briefly mentioned the work done so far in the project and outlined the general flow of the meeting and the topics to be discussed. Following this, Håkon Ege from COLIN introduced the gamification-based digital “Competence Hub” platform, which will be developed within the scope of Work Package 3, aimed at sports innovation. Ege explained that this platform is designed to foster and share innovative approaches in the world of sports. Access to the platform will be provided via https://portal.sportsinnovationshub.com, and after registering, all participants had the opportunity to explore its features and usage details. During this review, Resul Erhan, the representative of MOBAD, gave a comprehensive presentation about the technical details of the platform, providing information on its infrastructure and technical operation. Additionally, Ege mentioned that the platform would be ready for testing within a week, and partners would be able to provide feedback on it.
The second session of the meeting continued with a detailed review of the tasks within Work Package 4. In this session, Håkon Ege from COLIN gave a presentation about the tasks, roles, responsibilities, and the contributions of project partners under this work package. The distribution of modules among project partners was also clarified during this presentation. Each module was distributed according to the expertise of the project partners, and the roles and responsibilities of each partner were detailed. These modules will be added to the project’s digital learning platform to create educational content focused on sports innovation.
In addition, various local and international events under Work Package 4 were outlined in the second session. Under this work package, it was planned to organize local training seminars for trainers, teachers, and experts in five countries (Norway, Poland, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and Sweden). Guidelines, checklists, and feedback forms to be used in these seminars were presented by Ege to all partners. It was also agreed that local thematic workshops would be organized for student-athletes in these five countries, with a deadline for completion set for October 20, 2024.
Another important event discussed was the international workshop to be held in Oslo. This workshop, scheduled for October 28-29, 2024, will host 12 young participants. Each project partner will be responsible for sending a designated number of participants to this international event.
The topic of testing the digital platform was also addressed. It was decided that the platform would be tested by a total of 120 young athletes from eight countries, with 15 participants from each country taking part in the digital learning activities. This testing phase was considered a critical step in terms of platform functionality and user experience. Finally, community-building activities were planned, with six hybrid (physical/digital) meetings and various webinars to be organized throughout the project. These events aim to raise awareness in the field of sports innovation and reach a wider audience.
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 Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Based on the collaboration between EAS and the Italian Society of Movement and Sports Science “SISMES”, on September 20, 2024, President Laura Capranica and dr. Enrico Montaperto from the Directorate of Education of the Italian University Ministry (MUR) co-moderated the symposium “International and National Policies for Dual Career” at the XV Annual SISMeS Conference held at the University of Chieti-Pescara, Italy https://www.sismes.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Programma-SISMeS-2024-Chieti_per-sito.pdf.
Navy Captain Roberto Recchia, Secretary General of the International Council of Military Sports (CISM), addressed the opportunities and challenges of military sport in the athlete’s path during and after their sports career. Dr. Andrea Carletti, presented the activities of EPAS-Council of Europe towards an ethical, inclusive, and safe sport, including the focus session on “Dual Career: Effective Strategies and Future Directions” to be held during the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport of the Council of Europe to be held in Porto next October 10, 2024. Prof. Paolo Bouquet (University of Trento) reported the Italian experiences in promoting dual career through the Unisport Italia network, including the recent survey on the dual career policies and provisions offered by 56 higher educational institutions (HEI). Prof. Pascal Izzicupo (University of Chieti-Pescara) reported on the guidelines for HEIs of the More Than Gold (https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/603346-EPP-1-2018-1-LV-SPO-SCP) and the differences in the HEI-experts’ and student-athletes’ perceptions of the quality of policies and provisions in Italy, Malta, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain carried on as a deliverable of the FIND ME https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/101134043 ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships. Finally, dr. Flavia Guidotti (University San Raffaele-Roma) presented the dual career paths of Italian female soccer players who recently achieved a sport professional status.
At the end of the Symosium, Prof. Angela Di Baldassarre, SISMEeS President (University of Chieti-Pescara) and Prof. Cristina Cortis SISMES Youth Committee (University of Cassino and Southern Lazio) presented a Recognition Plaque to President Laura Capranica for her commitment to the advancement of dual career in Italy .
This event was a tremendous opportunity to reflect on several aspects of dual career of the sportspersons in different context and to envisage further collaborations.
The SISMeS conference represented an opportunity to inform more than 500 Italian scholars on the expected actions and future outcomes of the ongoing ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships COMPATH, DiscoverU, DCMENTOR, FIND ME, SMART START for DC, and TALENT, and the Capacity Building project Sports as Value
The IV International Scientific Conference “SIDUCA” was held in São Paulo from September 16 to 18, 2024, held in the Brazilian Paralympic Committee Center, a modern training center which is house for all the Paralympic sports. The conference was organized by the Associacao Brasileira sobre Dupla Carreira Esportiva (ABDC), under the patronage of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee and the Brazilian Sports Ministry.
The President of ABDC, Prof. Felipe Rodrigues Da Costa welcomed more than 90 Brazilian students, scholars and researchers, 11 key lecturers, and 4 international guests from Europe and South Korea. llustrated the European and South Korean approached to dual career: Professor Laura Capranica, President of EAS from Foro Italico University of Rome (Italy), who shared insights into the importance of European cooperation through the EAS network and the ERASMUS+ projects; Professor António J. Figueiredo Member of the EAS Executive Board from University of Coimbra (Portugal), who presented the opportunities to the conciliation of educational system and sports talents in light of the Portuguese 2019 decree law; Professor Cristina Lopez-de-Subijana from INEF Madrid (SPAIN), who presented the athletes’ challenges of the sport career trajectories in light of economic aspects, till the transition from sports to labor market; and Mr. Ha Gel Lee from the South Korean Paralympic Committee, who illustrated the national dual career programme supporting para-athletes. At the end of each day, the short presentations of young researchers substantiated the vivid Brazilian dual career discourse.
The last day, Dr. Iziane Marques, National Segretary for Sport Excellence (SNE) presented the policy agenda for the support of athletes and their transition to the labour market, including the development of national guidelines expected in the next months with the cooperation of national experts and scholars and Prof. Lopez-de-Subjana and Antonio J Figueiredo as European experts.
The conference represented a tremendous sport diplomacy opportunity through raising the awareness of the outcomes of past EU-Funded Projects, and the expected actions and future outcomes of the ongoing ERASMUS+ Collaborative Partnerships COMPATH, DiscoverU, DCMENTOR, FIND ME, SMART START for DC, and TALENT, and the Capacity Building project Sports as Value.
Further information is available at https://www.dcbrasil.org
The second transnational meeting of the FIND ME project, a significant initiative financed by the European Union for dual career athletes at the university level, was held on September 5-6 in Chieti, Italy, hosted by Universita Degli Studi Gabriele D’annunzio Di Chieti.
This meeting marks a crucial stage of the project, bringing participants together to advance the project’s development. Important steps were taken regarding the content and structure of the FIND ME platform, and all work packages within the project were evaluated in detail.
The opening of the meeting was conducted by Pascal Izzicupo from the host institution, Chieti-Pescara Gabriele D’Annunzio University. In his opening speech, Izzicupo discussed the importance of the project and the contributions of the participants.
Nenad Stojiljković from the University of Niš Faculty of Sports and Physical Education provided a general presentation of the project. Stojiljković gave detailed information about the project’s overall goals, the progress made so far, and future plans.
Another significant part of the meeting was the presentation by Pascal Izzicupo on the opinions of Experts and Sport-Academics (S-As) regarding Dual Career support services under WP2. Izzicupo provided valuable insights into the current services for dual career support across Europe and the improvements needed in this field.
One of the key moments of the meeting was the detailed presentation of the FIND ME platform by Matteo Perissinotto from OKKAM s.r.l. Perissinotto provided comprehensive information about the platform’s functionality, user experience, and operations, explaining the platform’s processes in detail to the partners. Project partners engaged in productive discussions on how the platform could assist athletes in balancing their academic and athletic careers.
The Collective Innovation team, responsible for dissemination activities, shared the results of social media engagement achieved so far. The project’s social media strategies and plans for reaching wider audiences were discussed in this section. Burak Caliskan shared plans for upcoming dissemination activities with the participants, presenting strategies to enhance the project’s impact.
After the meeting, participants had the opportunity to explore the historical beauty of Chieti. The meeting concluded with a pleasant dinner featuring pizza and pasta, after a museum visit showcasing the university’s rich cultural heritage.
We are excited to open a new door to the future of dual career athletes with the FIND ME project.
REG. NUMBER: Voluntary Organisation registration VO/1270
PIC NUMBER: 913459865
Email: info@dualcareer.eu