EVENTS

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