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On October 5-7, 2026, the European Athlete as Student Network (EAS) held its 23rd Annual Conference and General Assembly in Oulu, Finland. Hosted by Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School and the City of Oulu, the three-day event brought together representatives from 19 countries to exchange knowledge, share good practices and strengthen cooperation in the field of dual career development for athletes. The conference programme featured 32 oral presentations on dual career programmes, projects, research and policies, alongside three interactive workshops and activity breaks, providing participants with opportunities to discuss practical approaches and explore new forms of collaboration.

The conference was officially opened by Simo Kekäläinen, host of the EAS 2026 Conference, followed by welcoming remarks from Jani Syrjälä, Principal of Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School; Olli Kohonen, Chair of the Education and Culture Committee of the City of Oulu; and Mika Penttilä, Director of Education and Culture of the City of Oulu. The official opening ceremony also featured remarks by Laura Capranica, President of EAS, and a presentation on the founding members of EAS by Risto Keskitalo Honorary President of EAS and by Marit Stub Nbelius, Doctor at Dalarna University and daughter of Bengt Nubelius. Greetings from the Finnish Olympic Committe were offered by Liisa Ahlqvist-Lehkosuo, Sports Director of the Finnish Olympic Committee.

A key lecture by Helena Kmencikova of the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) focused on ERASMUS+ funding opportunities for dual career initiatives. The presentation stimulated discussions and encouraged participants to explore new opportunities for international cooperation and future joint projects. The participants were also informed that it is possible to register for the 2027 ERASMUS+ Sport Info Day to be organized in Brussels next December 27, 2026.

The Conference highlighted the work of emerging researchers and innovative projects. Raluca Onose, winner of the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship from the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania, presented the research, “Dual Career in European Universities Websites: Student-Sportspersons’ Needs of Digital Information and Services”.  The certificate was delivered by the President of EAS with the past winners of the Bengt Nybelius Scholarship who were attending the event. Francesca Di Rocco, Researcher at San Raffaele University of Rome, presented a keynote on “Building an Evidence-Based Digital Platform for Elite Athletes’ Dual Career, Career Transitions and Mental Health: The PORTAL Project”, which received also a special mention.

The afternoon programme continued with a presentation by Felipe Rodrigues da Costa, President of the Brazilian Association of Dual Career, on the Brazilian Dual Career System and Transitions Between Education Levels. This was followed by five presentations showcasing dual career systems and practices from the Nordic countries — Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. The first Conference day concluded with three interactive working groups, where participants discussed the practical implementation and approaches of dual career systems in Finland, Sweden and Norway.

The second day began with an inspiring session featuring two former professional ice hockey players and multiple Olympic and World Championship medalists, Lasse Kukkonen and Jussi Jokinen. In the session “What the Game Taught Us,” they reflected on the lessons and experiences gained through elite sport having relevance beyond athletic competition.

The Conference then continued with two parallel sessions led by EAS Board members Ilvis Abelkalns, Ole Keldorf, Laurence Blondel, Risto Keskitalo and António Figueiredo. The sessions provided a platform for participants to share experiences, results and practical outcomes of projects carried out by different consortia, as well as the European Union co-funded projects involving EAS; Give Sport a Say coordinated by OPES, DiscoverU coordinated by EUSA, FIND ME coordinated by the University of Nis, and FOCUS coordinated by NYSA Sweden. Participants also engaged in keynote plenary lectures, parallel sessions and workshops, including the “Give Sport a Say” workshop, co-funded European Union under the CERV programme and co-facilitated by OPES, EAS, EUSA and TAFISA with the aim to empower sporting communities through a direct participation in decision-making of EU sport policies.

The second part of the day featured a series of invited presentations addressing different aspects of athlete education, well-being and dual career development. Aku Nikander, University Teacher at the University of Jyväskylä and member of the FISU Education Committee, presented “Findings about Elite Athlete Friendly Universities in Finland.” Chris Harwood, Director of the Health and Performance Enhancement Research Centre at Nottingham Trent University, presented “The 5Cs Framework: Supporting Collaborative and Creative Psychosocial Development through Sport.” A Nordic perspective on supporting young athletes was provided by Henna Anunti, Vice Principal of Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School; Tine Ørum Secher, Vice Principal of Aarhus Akademi; and Daði Rafnsson, Dual Career Manager at Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi, with their presentation “Striving for Success: Empowering Dual Careers in Sports and Studies.”Further presentations explored emerging challenges and opportunities in athlete development. Milla Saarinen, Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger, presented “AI-WELL: Rethinking Sustainable Youth Development through Machine Learning in the Nordic Model of Athlete Education,” while Tiia Gustafsson, Doctoral Researcher at Åbo Akademi University, discussed “Athletic and Academic Well-Being among Student-Athletes in Higher Education.”The programme also included a presentation by Ole Keldorf, Sport Consultant and EAS Board Member, entitled “The EDUcation for Dual Careers of Football Talents.” Photo by

At the Gala dinner, the Finnish Olympic Committee awarded the University of Oulu the important recognition as the Top-Level Athlete-Friendly Higher Education Institution, a quality label valid for five years acknowledging the commitment of academic institutions to create versatile and student-oriented guidance services for good conditions of continuous development as well as a strong cooperation with the Ouluseutu Sports Academy. The Student Athlete of the Academic Year 2025.2026 was awarded to Akseli Rouhola, silver medalist in World Orienteering Championship in Italy and Student of Medicine at the University of Turku. A Diploma of Honour was delivered to Risto Keskitalo, dual career visionary and founder of EAS, for his significant work for enhancing the athletes’ dual career.

Important parts of the event were the Finnish Dual Career Networks Assembly, held in Finnish and parallel to the EAS General Assembly, and General Assembly with the elections for the EAS leadership for the 2027–2030 period. The General Assembly was chaired Florentino Huertas and leaded by EAS Executive Board Member António Figueiredo. Members approved the activity report presented by António Figueiredo and the financial report presented by EAS Treasurer Mojca Doupona after being validated by Nenad Stojiljkovic. Following the nomination and validation process conducted in accordance with Maltese legislation and the EAS Statutes, the General Assembly elected Mojca Doupona, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, as the new EAS President for the 2027–2030 period. In replacing Tibor Kozsla in the Past President position, Laura Capranica thanked his precious support for her three mandates as President.

The new elected EAS Executive Committee encompassed, in alphabetical order:

• Ilvis Abelkalns — University of Latvia, Latvia
• Laurence Blondel — INSEP, France
• Cristina Cortis — University of Cassino and Lazio Meridionale, Italy
• Hakon Ege — Collective Innovation AS, Norway
• António Figueiredo — University of Coimbra, Portugal
• Jaakko Aku Oskari Nikander — Finnish Olympic Committee, Finland
• Mihaela-Raluca Onose — University of Iași, Romania
• Antonio Sanchez-Pato — University of A Coruña, Spain

The General Assembly also approved a proposal by Risto Keskitalo to appoint Ole Keldorf as an Honorary Member of EAS.

The final day of the Conference included the visit to the Kastelli Sports School, situated at the impressive Kastelli Community Centre for education of youth, athletes, immigrant education, community library, and a special programme in sports, which is administrated by the national Sports Academy and the Finnish Olympic Committee. Mari-Leena Talvitie, Minister of Science and Culture at the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, opened the plenary session followed the high-level panel discussion entitled “The Importance of Dual Career for Athletes,” moderated by Mojca Doupona, Professor at the University of Ljubljana and elected President of the European Athlete as Student Network. The exceptional participation of Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport allowed an engaging discussion on European policies with the lived experiences of student-athletes, shedding light on the practical impact of institutional frameworks on their daily lives and future transitions. The participation of Sonja Stång, student-athlete in track and field at the University of Oulu, Oulu Business School, Miro Manderbacka, student-athlete in weightlifting at the University of Oulu, Faculty of Technology, and Ella Pruikkonen, student-athlete in dancesport at Kastelli Upper Secondary Sports School, highlighted the importance of creating educational and sporting environments that enable athletes to pursue sporting excellence while simultaneously developing their education, professional skills and personal well-being. Commissioner Micallef also stressed the importance of European policies, values and priorities embedded in the European sport model, which embodies merit and solidarity crucial for the further development of the European sport discourse and the European citizenship.

The 23rd Annual EAS Conference in Oulu once again demonstrated the value of international cooperation in advancing dual career opportunities for athletes. By bringing together researchers, educators, sports organizations, policymakers, practitioners and student-athletes, the event created a platform for sharing knowledge, developing new ideas and strengthening European cooperation in dual career education.

The EAS Annual Conference continues to serve as an important meeting point for the dual career community, supporting the development of sustainable systems that allow athletes to successfully combine sport, education and life beyond sport. Raluca Onose delivered a spectacular presentation of the 2027 EAS Annual Conference to be organized by the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania.