Dear EAS Members and Friends,
the EAS Executive Committee wishes you a peaceful 2024 Easter and takes the opportunity to update you.
Recent activities
January 26-27: The EAS Executive Board met at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), during which the 2024 activities of the Network were planned.
January 30: The EAS President Laura Capranica and Treasurer Mojca Doupona attended the “2024 EACEA InfoDay on ERASMUS+ Sport Programme and other EU funding opportunities” in Brussels, Belgium. This annual event updates on the EU priorities in sports. Recordings of the main sessions are available at the link 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.
February 27: The Members of the EAS Executive Board Ole Keldorf and Risto Keskitalo visited the Vice Rector Rajmund Tomik and the Director of international Relations Piotr Rodak at the Academy of Physical Education Katowice (Poland) to define the Conference programme dedicated to “Dual career at school and university – innovative bridges between sport and education”. In Katowice, the 2024European City of Science, the EAS members will have the best opportunities for to celebrate the 20th anniversary of EAS. Further information of the 2024 EAS Conference is available at https://eas24.awf.katowice.pl
March 1: The Call for the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship has been launched. Researchers up to 40 years of age could be eligible for the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship by submitting as first author an original manuscript related to the scope of EAS before July 1st, 2024 (midnight CET) by e-mail to info@dualcareer.eu. By July 31, 2024, the winner will be informed that EAS will arrange travel, accommodation, and registration at the Annual EAS Conference in Katowice, Poland to present the scientific contribution on October 1-3, 2024.
March 11: the 12th EAS Virtual Cafè was organized to address the challenges and opportunities of “Students-Athletes Facing the Olympic Games”. The event was a special opportunity to hear the voices of former Olympians and athletes facing for the first time the senior Olympic Games in Paris. Moderated by the former Portuguese Olympic canoeing athlete Beatriz Gomes, at present Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Coimbra, and member of the Executive Board of the Portuguese Olympic Committee, the participants were Gévrise Émane, French Olympic judo medalist and three times world champion, at present working as life coach for athletes for the French sport institute (INSEP), Vice-President of the Judo French Federation, and TV and radio consultant; Andy Criere, Spanish surfing athlete qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and student of Business Administration and Management at the at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Spain, and Davide Di Veroli, Italian epee fencer qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winner of an Italian Sportrait Award, student of Economics and Management at the Italian LUISS Guido Carli University.
The EU-funded ERASMUS+ Capacity Building and Collaborative Partnerships
Sports as Value (101093451), the capacity building coordinated by ENGSO (Sweden) aims to build the capacity of sport managers and coaches in Balkan region for promoting the positive impact of grassroots sports and the values in and through sport. The best practices collected in Albania, Bosnia&Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and some other Member States will be summarized in a report. Further information is available at https://www.engso-education.eu/sports-as-value/
Talent (101090147), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by the Uciliste Centar Izvrsnosti Splitsko-Dalmatinske Zupanije Ustanova Za Obrazovanje Odraslih (Croatia) aims to develop a cloud-based education for creative sport talents. The report on Standards for the Recognition of Talented Children and the Methodological Handbook with Standards for the Detection and Assessment of the Potential of Talented Children in Sport have been finalized. In the next months, the user guidelines and the training materials will developed. Further information is available at https://talent-edu.eu
COMPATH (101050955), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by COLLECTIVE INNOVATION AS (Norway) aims to Promote Employability of Young Student-Athletes through ‘‘Competence Hub’’ on Sport Innovation. Drawing inspiration from the findings from a study on the educational needs of young people who are aiming for a career in sports innovation, the Digital Sport Innovation Competence Hub is going to be developed. Further information is available at https://sportsinnovationshub.com
DiscoverU (101134052), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by EUSA (Slovenia) aims to assess qualifications of elite athletes and to prepare them to the labour market. The project will develop e-learning materials for a Future Skills Curriculum, an Athlete Career Mentorship Platform Work, and organizie Power up Workshops for Elite Athletes.
DC MENTOR (101132309), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by Sports Tech Consulting Education Tourism Organization Trade Limited Company (Turkeye) aims to Advancing Athlete Employability through Career Mentorship and Education. In particular, the project is designed to offer assistance to athlete for mitigating their difficulties in pursuing dual careers through tools and solutions in relation to life skills, future skills and 21th century skills.
SMART START for DC (101133555), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by Sportsko Uciliste PESG (Croatia) aims to encourage the dual career of young high school athletes aged 14 and 19. To gather valuable insights of the skills and expectations of youth athletes across Europe, a survey has been developed and launched.
FIND ME (101134043), the Collaborative Partnership coordinated by the University of Nis aims to structure an evidence-based European user-friendly platform specifically tailored for dual career at university level. A survey is going to be launched to gather valuable insights to the development of the platform to best serve the needs of student-athletes across Europe.
Upcoming events
April 16-17: Under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union, the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission will organize the 2024 EU Sport Forum in Liege (Belgium) The event will bring together policy maker and representatives from sports organizations to discuss challenges and envisage opportunities for the European Sport.
April 22: 13th EAS Cafè “University Sports: From Active Lifestyles to Dual Career”
EAS Conference
October 1-3, 2024, the Academy of Physical Education Katowice (Poland) will host the 2024 EAS Annual Conference “Dual career at school and university – innovative bridges between sport and education” (https://eas24.awf.katowice.pl).The Conference is the most important opportunity for the dual career community to be informed on the best practices at local, regional, and national levels, the findings and outcomes of EU-funded dual career projects, and the recognition of researchers awarded the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship (https://www.dualcareer.eu/call-for-papers-bengt-nybelius-scholarship-2024/)..
A special thank to the Executive Committee and the Members of our Network for their proactive attitude in the recruitment of new EAS members and the advancement of the European dual career culture. I strongly encourage you to keep disseminating the EAS activities for the benefit of sportspersons as students and workers.
Prof. Laura CAPRANICA,
EAS President
“Students-Athletes Facing the Olympic Games”
March 11, 2024 (from 12:00 CET).
Moderator
Prof. Dr. Beatriz Gomes, Professor of Biomechanics at the University of Coimbra, Portugal, and member of the Executive Board of the Portuguese Olympic Committee. Former Olympic athlete of Cannoing in two olympic games (Beijing, 2008; London, 2012) and World Champion in the K1 Marathon, 2009.
Participants:
Gévrise Émane, French Olympic judo medalist and three times world champion, working for French sport institute (INSEP) as life coach for athletes, she is Vice-President of the Judo French Federation, and TV and radio consultant.
Andy Criere, Spanish surfing athlete qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and student of Business Administration and Management at the at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR), Spain.
David Di Veroli (TBC), Italian fencer qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and student of Economics and Management at the Italian LUISS Guido Carli University.
Looking forward to meeting you again, I wish you a nice week!
On January 26-27, 2024, the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) hosted the EAS Executive Board. During a two-day meeting, Ole Keldorf, Antonio Figueiredo, and Laura Capranica proposed activity plans of New Generation Committee (Next GEN EAS), the Scientific Committee, and the Communication Committee, respectively.
Updates on the participation of EAS in the ERASMUS+ Capacity Building Sports as Value (101093451 to build the capacity of sport managers and coaches in Balkan region to promote values in and through sport) and in the Collaborative Partnerships (COMPATH, 101050955 – Promoting Employability of Young Student-Athletes through ‘‘Competence Hub on Sport Innovation’’; Talent, 101090147 – Cloud-based education for creative sport talents; DC MENTOR, 101132309 – Enhancing Athlete Employability through Career Mentorship and Education; DiscoverU, 101134052 – Sport and physical activity opportunities for students in higher education; SMART START for DC, 101133555 – To encourage the dual career of young high school athletes aged 14 and 19; FIND ME, 101134043 – to structure an evidence-based European platform specifically tailored for dual career at university level) were shared.
The Board approved unanimously the 2024 activity and financial reports and envisaged the organization of three online cafès (March, June, and November 2024), the first one dedicated to “Students-Athletes facing the Olympic Games Students. Furthermore, the visit of the EAS ExCom Members Ole Keldorf and Risto Keskitalo to the Academy of Physical Education Katowice (Poland) was planned to prepare the 2024 Annual Conference.
On February 27, 2024, the Academy of Physical Education Katowice (Poland) Vice Rector Rajmund Tomik and the Director of international Relations Piotr Rodak welcomed Ole Keldorf and Risto Keskitalo and showed the venue of the 2024 EAS Annual Conference to be held on October 1-3, 2024. The co-operation between EAS and the host was sealed with Rector Grzegorz Juras.
During the well-prepared meeting, the Conference programme and the practical arrangements have been defined to provide the best opportunities for a EAS members to have a great time in Katowice.
The celebration of the 20th anniversary of the EAS Conference in Katowice, the European City of Science in 2024, is a special opportunity to highlight the contribution of dual career of sportspersons to the advancement of a European culture in and through sports on all aspects of life. In fact, the Conference is dedicated to “Dual career at school and university – innovative bridges between sport and education”
Further information of the 2024 Conference is available at https://eas24.awf.katowice.pl
On February 15, 2024, the Faculty of Sport and Physical Education of the University of Nis (Serbia) organized the kick-off meeting of the FIND ME project. The project leader is the University of Nis faculty of Sport and Physical education (Serbia) and partners are the University “G. D’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti (Italy), University of Ljublana (Slovenia), University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza,” Iaši (Romania), International University of La Rioja SA (Spain), OKKAM SRL (Italy), The European Athlete as Students – EAS (Malta) and Collective Innovation AS NO (Norway).The project will be implemented until 2027 with the primary aim to structure an evidence-based European platform specifically tailored for sportspersons looking for the best option dual career to enroll at university level in Europe, in line with the recommendations of the EU Guidelines on Dual Careers of Athletes. The partners of the FIND ME consortium will bring together a solid experience in dual career networks at national, European, and International networks, the experience of the Italian dual career university platform (https://www.unisport-italia.it/en/dual-career/), the European Minimum Study on the minimum quality requirements for dual career services, the Research for cult committee qualifications/dual careers in sports, the participation in the More Then Gold guidelines as well as in several European dual career projects. Universities and organizations from various European countries will be invited to participate in the FIND ME project, whch could provide them a high visibility of their educational offer and dual career policies.
In the FIND ME project, EAS is represented by Laura Capranica, Ilvis Abelkalns and Antonio Figueiredo.
On December 18-20, 2023, the European University Sport Association (EUSA) Institute organized in Val di Zoldo, Italy, the kick-off meeting of the DiscoverU Collaborative Partnership, in conjunction with the European University Winter Championships & EUSA Winter Forum.
The consortium is coordinated by EUSA Institute includes Croatian Academic Sports Federation, UniSport Heart Foundation (CRO), Hungarian University Sports Federation – MEFS (HUN), the Akademcki Zwiazek Sportowy -AZS (POL), the University of Salerno and FederCUSI (ITA), and EAS (MLT). DiscoverU will gather information on sport and physical activity opportunities for students in higher education and will share good practice examples for university sport and dual career support in the partner countries. To enhance sport participation and active lifestyles of university students the partner organizations will engage in blended learning, share experiences, gain new information and skills.
On December 16, 2023, the University of Soochow, China, organized an international meeting with the Chrles University of Prague, The University of Rome Foro Italico and the University of Taipei, followed y a Sport Forum during which Prof. Laura Capranica, President of EAS, presented the European dual career policies and activities.
Among the efforts of the European Commission in supporting Collaborative Partnerships and Capacity Building projects, the projects on dual career financed in the last decade were illustrated.
Furthermore, the role and contribution of EAS in addressing specific dual career issues in past, present, and future EU-funded projects were highlighted, also envisaging possible cooperation with non-European countries. In fact, dual career could be considered a valuable means for sport diplomacy to improve the dialogue, relations, and cultural exchanges between countries.
Coordinated by the University of Limerick (IRE) in cooperation with EAS (MLT), Elite Sports Academy Aarhus – ESAA (DEN), European University Sports Association Institute – EUSA (SLO), European Platform for Sports and Innovation – EPSI (BEL), Human Age Institute Foundation (ITA), Roma Tre University (ITA), University of Ljubljana (SLO), and University of Nis (SRB), after three years the Brand Values Alignment through Dual Career (BRAVA) project, co-funded by the European ERASMUS+Sport Programme (622824-EPP-1-2020-1-IE-SPO-SCP), has come to its end. On December 12, 2023, EPSI hosted the last transnational meeting of BRAVA-DC in Brussels (BEL) to discuss the achieved outcomes and to foresee further development in the dual career of the employee-sportsperson. Despite the pandemic challenges, the consortium successfully accomplished important steps in uncovering the evidence and eminence of the dual career at the workplace, which were summarized in scientific contributions, and a report with 16 guidelines and an evaluation tool available at https://edu.bravadualcareer.eu.
In the afternoon, more than 30 in-person and 100 online participants attended the Final Conference of BRAVA-DC, which was organized in conjunction with the 11th EAS online Cafè. Alberto Bichi (Director of EPSI) welcomed the participants on behalf of the hosting organization and project consortium, and Prof Ciaran Mac Donncha (Coordinator, University of Limerick) illustrated the main outcomes and findings of the project.
Dr. Kolë Gjeloshaj (Strategic coordinator at the European Fair-Play Movement – EFPM), previous Chair of the International Fair-Play Committee – CIFP) Scientific Committee, Scientific Collaborator at the Institute of Sociology of the Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vice-President of the Panathlon Wallonie-Bruxelles and Belgium) emphasized the relevance of values for dual career, which need more reflections and future actions.
Navy Officer Florentia Sfakianou (Olympian and Public Affairs Officer at International Military Sports Council – CISM), presented the dual career opportunities offered by military sports to actual and former athletes and the efforts of CISM in organizing one of the largest global sports events.
Dr. Ignazio Cocchiere (Policy officer in the Sport Unit of the European Commission’s department for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport – DG EAC, and soccer player) highlighted the European values and priorities in the field of sport, including the importance of dual career from the viewpoint of the EU and Sport Unit. He also offered his personal dual career experience as a professional football player in Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, and as an employee at the EU institutions.
More information on BRAVA-DC project is available at www.bravadualcareer.eu.
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
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 June 1st, 2023, more than 80 participants, including university students from Niš (Serbia) attended online the tenth EAS Cafè “Dual career as European sports diplomacy”, moderated by Prof. Antonio Sanchez-Pato, Director of the Sports Science Area at the Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR, Spain) and member of the EAS Executive Committee.
Prof. Sanchez-Pato introduced the theme of the Cafè by offering the definitions of sport diplomacy and examples of this powerful tool to improve the dialogue, relations, and cultural exchanges between communities, to defuse tensions and to build bridges between countries. He also highlighted the role of education of sportspersons whose experiences of a globalized sport environment could help them developing skills useful in the diplomatic arena. Finally, he emphasized the potential of e-learning to support dual career worldwide, especially in considering that some European universities historically have a relevant cultural exchange in other continents, such as Latin America.
The first speaker, Prof. Felipe Rodrigues Da Costa, Assistant Professor at the Physical Education Faculty of the Brasilia University (FEF/UnB) and Coordinator of the Post-graduate Program in Physical Education, summarized the development of dual career in Latin America, starting from his post-doc experience at the University of Coimbra and his cooperation with Prof. Antonio Figueiredo, Member of the EAS Excecutive Committee. He illustrated not only his personal dedication to the development of dual career research in Latin America that resulted in a tremendous increase of scientific contributions during the past few years, but also the capitalization of the good practice of EAS for establishing a dual career Ibero-American network, which resulted in the organization of international seminars and the participation of Brazilian delegates to the EAS conference.
The second speaker, Prof. Karim Chamari, Head of Aspetar Injury and Illness Prevention Program (ASPREV) at Aspetar, Doha (Qatar) presented his difficulties in combining his academic and sport careers as a Tunisian Olympic windsurfer at the Barcelona Games in 1992. Whilst in Tunisia he struggled to have dual career arrangements at academic level, as a PhD student at the University of Montpellier (France) he engaged in personal negotiations with his PhD tutor to have a 4-month break from his research studies to prepare for the Olympic Games. Suffering a sudden end of his sport career due to an unexpected severe pathology, Prof. Chamari benefited from his bio-medical studies to recover his condition. Despite a lack of institutional dual career support, Prof. Chamari’s determination made him a well-prepared coach of professional soccer players and one of the most rewarded outstanding scholars.
In summarizing the general discussion, Prof. Sanchez-Pato underlined the main role of dual career in establishing understanding between cultures, scientific research, and cooperation between organizations. He also urged young researcher to send their application to the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship before July 1, 2023, and anticipated that an EAS survey will be mailed to its internal and external stakeholders to collect their opinions regarding the past and future EAS activities. Before closing the Tenth EAS Cafè, the participants were informed that the next EAS Cafè will be organized in fall, after the Annual Conference to be held in Gaeta next October 2-4, 2023.