The World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup Finals, held in Sydney, Australia (22–26 July), once again showcased the strength, tradition and excellence of European water polo on the global stage.
European nations dominated both competitions, with seven of the eight men’s teams and four of the eight women’s teams representing Europe. Throughout the tournament, Europe’s athletes demonstrated outstanding quality, competitiveness and sporting excellence, reaffirming the continent’s leading role in international water polo.
The competition also marked a historic milestone for Greece, whose Men’s National Team claimed its first-ever World Cup title after an unforgettable 15–14 victory over Hungary in the final. In the women’s tournament, Spain reached the final before finishing as runners-up to the United States.
These achievements reflect not only the success of national teams but also the invaluable contribution of Europe’s multisport clubs, which continue to develop elite athletes through long-term investment, education and sporting values. The European club model remains a cornerstone of international success, providing the environment where talent can grow and flourish.
The European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) warmly congratulates all athletes, coaches, national federations and clubs whose dedication and commitment contributed to another outstanding edition of the World Aquatics Water Polo World Cup.
Together, they continue to demonstrate that European multisport clubs play a fundamental role in shaping the future of international sport and inspiring the next generation of champions.
The European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) is pleased to announce the upcoming EMCA Open Day, which will take place on Monday, 5 October 2026, from 11:00 to 18:00, Avenue des Arts 56, BE-1000 Brussels, Belgium.
The EMCA Open Day will offer participants the opportunity to learn more about the Association, its activities, European initiatives and growing network of multisport clubs and organisations.
The event will also provide a space for dialogue, exchange and networking among EMCA members, partners and stakeholders from across the European sports community, while encouraging new connections and opportunities for future cooperation.
Further information regarding the programme, participation and planned activities will be announced soon.
Save the date and stay tuned for more information through the EMCA website and social media channels.
Event Details
Date: Monday, 5 October 2026 Time: 11:00–18:00 Address: Avenue des Arts 56, BE-1000 Brussels, Belgium
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM — On Tuesday 23 June 2026, the European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) attended the prestigious #BeActive EU Sport Awards, held at the BOZAR – Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.
The high-profile event celebrated inspiring initiatives and individuals from across Europe that successfully use sport as a powerful tool to promote social inclusion, active participation, volunteering, and profound social impact.
The ceremony brought together key representatives from European institutions, national governments, and the wider European sport sector.
Prominent figures played important roles throughout the event, contributing to the recognition and celebration of the awarded initiatives, while highlighting the vital importance of sport in building stronger, healthier, and more inclusive societies.
Among the distinguished guests and speakers were Glenn Micallef, European Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport; Dr. Athene Michaelidou, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth of Cyprus; and Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Director-General of DG Education, Youth, Sport and Culture.
A particularly memorable and emotional moment of the evening was the inspiring address by Sébastien Bellin, former professional basketball player and survivor of the 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks.
Reflecting deeply on his personal journey, Bellin spoke movingly about overcoming fear, losing the ego, and maintaining focus, effectively reminding the entire audience that true strength extends far beyond the boundaries of sport.
The #BeActive EU Sport Awards provided an excellent, high-level opportunity to connect with key European stakeholders and to witness firsthand the positive, transformative impact of sport-driven initiatives across Europe.
EMCA remains firmly committed to supporting such framework actions that reinforce the European sport model and foster cooperation across all levels.
With the European Union setting the “Twin Transition” —the simultaneous transformation of the economy and society through digital technology and green sustainability— as an absolute priority for 2026, the European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) confirms its institutional role in the developments of the European sports ecosystem.
EMCA aligns itself fully with the new guidelines of the European Commission and the European Sports Charter, which mandates the administrative, social, and environmental sustainability of sports organizations. Through its strategy, the Association translates theoretical European directives into actionable tools for its member clubs across Europe.
A key pillar of this effort is the operation of the EMCA Innovation Hub (E4IH), which was officially presented at the recent International Innovation Conference in Sant Cugat, Barcelona. The E4IH acts as an accelerator for bridging sport with cutting-edge technology, providing a platform for innovative solutions in digital health, data management, and sustainable infrastructure.
Concurrently, EMCA practically invests in digital evolution through the European Erasmus+ program “DigiRoot”. The project, which is currently in its final and most essential phase of implementation with the active participation of leading European clubs, focuses on creating a pioneering digital platform and developing social media strategies that guarantee the sustainability and longevity of its results for grassroots and amateur sports.
EMCA continues to work institutionally, ensuring that European sports clubs will not be mere observers, but co-shapers of a digital and sustainable future.
With the kick-off of the biggest sporting event on the planet just around the corner, the European Multisport Clubs Association (EMCA) will have its own presence in the great celebration of world football.
Top football players from the Federation’s member clubs have been called up to represent their national teams in the final stage of the World Cup, which will be held in the stadiums of the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.
Their participation is the culmination of a long and demanding competitive season, during which athletes from EMCA member clubs distinguished themselves through their performances, competitive consistency, and sportsmanship.
The presence of football players from historic member clubs of the Federation confirms the high athletic quality and international reach of the organizations that comprise EMCA. At the same time, it highlights the key role of European multisport clubs in preparing, supporting, and developing top-level athletes capable of starring on the world stage.
The fact that EMCA member clubs consistently supply national teams from different continents underscores the multifaceted and global impact of the Federation. This expanded representation reflects the systematic, structured, and professional work carried out daily at all levels of the member clubs.
Through the continuous evolution of their sports departments, the clubs strengthen the institutional position, credibility, and extroversion of the European sports movement on a global scale, promoting the values of cooperation, excellence, and fair play.
EMCA wishes every success to all the football players of its member clubs who will participate in the tournament. These athletes are worthy ambassadors of the values of European multisport on the international stage, and their presence fills the entire EMCA family with pride.
The detailed list of football players from EMCA member clubs who will compete in the World Cup follows below, ordered by the number of representatives per club:
EMCA expresses its warmest congratulations to Olympiacos SFP for their historic EuroLeague title win in men’s basketball — a new golden chapter in the journey of one of Europe’s leading multi-sport clubs.
For EMCA, this success carries a special symbolism. Olympiacos is a founding member of the European Multisport Club Association and an active member of its Board of Directors. Its ability to combine athletic excellence with institutional contribution and the promotion of sporting values at a European level serves as a shining example.
Congratulations to the management, the coaching staff, the athletes, and the fans — and best of luck in pursuit of new triumphs!
For the 5th year in a row, Bar was the venue for the incredible festival of esports, gaming and digital technologies & innovation. It has genuinely become a global event, gathering the greatest gamers, innovators, incubators, accelerators and all drivers in this global, omnipresent phenomenon. Games are not new, from the first personal computers, internet and an all present acticitiy with the young. But the greatest change that occurred in the philosophy of egaming has become the revival of the idea of “Mens sano in corpore sano!” (Healthy mind in a healthy body, Latin saying). Namely, the global audience of gaming has realised that playing a game in your comfortable gaming chair is not enough. The body needs workout too. So, new trends and activities have started growing around gaming – physical literacy, a fixed amount of physical activites that need to be done in a certain time frame, but a new emerging field too – Phygital (International)! A combination of digital gaming and exercising/competing sports is now at the doorsteps of all nations.
EMCA has a history connected to the world of esports. One of the earliest Erasmus+ Sport projects was exactly about what Phygital is all about – gaming with physical sports. At the festival EMCA was represented by Bojan Mijatović, the director for development & sustainability, who participated in the panel “Innovation, Funding and Ecosystem Development” highlighting the connection between the multisport culture and the esport sector.
The European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) brought the voice of grassroots sport to the highest European institutional level, with a strong presence at the EU Sport Forum 2026, held on April 15–16 in Paphos, Cyprus.
The EMCA delegation, led by President Christina Tsiligkiri, participated actively in a Forum that made one thing unmistakably clear: the time for structural change in the governance and funding of the sports ecosystem has come.
A Powerful Stance on Solidarity
On April 15, Ms. Tsiligkiri took the stage as a keynote speaker at the panel “Rewarding talent in sport: boosting solidarity and competitive balance”, delivering a bold and unambiguous message:
“We fund success, but we often forget to fund the infrastructure that creates it.”
Drawing on the model of multisport clubs, the EMCA President demonstrated how solidarity can — and must — function as an active operational mechanism rather than an abstract principle: by systematically reinvesting resources into amateur sport and grassroots development.
Strategic Takeaways and Proposals
On April 16, with the focus shifting to policy directions and implementation strategies, the EMCA leadership put forward three critical conclusions for the future of European sport:
1. From Recognition to Implementation
Europe has acknowledged the challenges. What is now required are binding and measurable implementation mechanisms — not further declarations.
2. Grassroots Sport at the Centre
Despite formal institutional recognition, strategic planning remains top-heavy and professional-focused. EMCA calls for grassroots sport to be established as a central pillar of European planning.
3. Institutional Safeguards with Accountability
There is a pressing need for mandatory implementation structures with full accountability, ensuring that value flows back to the level where talent is genuinely nurtured.
High-Level European Engagement
Throughout the Forum (April 15–16), the EMCA delegation — which included Director of Development & Sustainability Bojan Mijatovic — held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with key stakeholders, including:
Giorgio Guazzugli Marini, Head of the Sport Unit, European Commission
Gareth Farrelly, CEO, Union of European Clubs
EMCA remains firmly committed to its mission: serving as a bridge between multisport clubs and European decision-makers, and securing a sustainable, inclusive and fair future for sport across the continent.
Keynote Speech by Christina Tsiligkiri:
“Solidarity in sport is not a slogan. It is a structure.”
“At the European Commission’s EU Sport Forum 2026, I had the opportunity to speak about something we have been discussing for years, yet rarely touch upon in its essence: Solidarity in sport. Not as an idea. Not as a principle. But as a functional mechanism. Because that is exactly where the problem lies.
In Europe, we have built a sports model that, theoretically, is based on redistribution—the idea that the top gives back to the base; that success fuels growth. In practice, however, this is not happening. Funding follows visibility. Value concentrates at the top. And the grassroots—where everything begins—is left behind.
A child starts practicing at a local club. They try different sports, evolve, and discover their talent. At some point, they reach the top. Their success creates value: economic, social, and symbolic. But what about the club that nurtured them? In most cases, they receive nothing. This is not just unfair. It is structurally flawed. Because we are funding the result, not the process that produces it.
Multisport clubs: Leading the way There is, however, a model that works: Multisport clubs. In these clubs, solidarity is not an option. It is an inherent part of their operation. Sports that generate revenue support those that do not. Infrastructure is shared. Resources are redistributed internally. Not because an external rule dictates it, but because the system was designed that way.
This is the critical point: Solidarity works when it is embedded in the structure. Not when it relies on good intentions. And this is precisely what can—and must—be transferred to the European level.
The great gap: Between sports Today, even where solidarity mechanisms exist, they operate within a single sport. There is no interconnection. A club that develops an athlete in volleyball, another in rowing, and another in gymnastics, is not recognized collectively for its work. And yet, this is the reality for most clubs in Europe. This is the daily life of the grassroots. This is the point that the system fails to see.
If we want real change If we are serious about a fair and sustainable European sport, we must do three things: First, institutionally recognize multisport clubs. Not as an exception, but as a fundamental pillar of the system. Second, create mandatory and transparent solidarity mechanisms. With clear data. With accountability. With rules that apply to everyone. Third, support the grassroots with stable resources. Not just through short-term programs lasting a few years, but with structural funding that allows for real long-term planning.
Europe’s choice European sport is at a crossroads. It can continue as it is today, with value concentrated among the few while the grassroots struggles to survive. Or, it can take a step forward. Transforming solidarity from a concept into a mechanism. From a slogan into a policy. From intention into result.
The solutions already exist. We see them every day in multisport clubs. The question is whether we are ready to recognize them—and implement them.”
The European Multi-Sport Club Association (EMCA) is set to play a prominent role in the upcoming EU Sport Forum 2026, the European Commission’s flagship event dedicated to the future of the sporting sector. This year’s forum, held in Paphos, Cyprus, gathers leading representatives and decision-makers to address the most pressing challenges and opportunities in European athletics.
On Wednesday, April 15, EMCA will contribute to the high-level dialogue through the participation of its President, Christina Tsiligkiri, who has been invited as a featured speaker in the Christian Barnard room. The session will focus on the evolving concept of competitive balance and its necessity for the credibility and sustainability of sporting competitions.
The panel, titled “Rewarding talent in sport: boosting solidarity and competitive balance,” will examine how financial disparities, structural inequalities, and increasing commercialisation affect the sporting ecosystem. The panel features:
Gareth Farrelly: CEO, Union of European Clubs.
Roko Sikirić: President, European Volleyball Confederation.
Christina Tsiligkiri: President, European Multi-Sport Club Association (EMCA).
The discussion will be moderated by Giorgio Guazzugli Marini (Head of the Sport Unit, European Commission), focusing on strategies to ensure a more balanced and sustainable future for European sport.
For EMCA, this participation represents both a significant recognition of its impact on the European stage and a responsibility to actively contribute to a fairer and more unpredictable sporting environment.
Session Info:
Topic: Rewarding talent in sport: boosting solidarity and competitive balance
The European Multi-Sport Club Association (EMCA) is set to participate in the upcoming Montenegro Future Festival, joining a high-level panel focused on the evolution of the sports sector through innovation and new strategic funding models.
On Saturday, EMCA representatives and industry experts will analyze the future prospects of the sporting ecosystem in a session titled “Building the Future: Innovation, Funding & Ecosystem Development.”
The panel features:
Bojan Mijatović: Director for Development & Sustainability, EMCA | International Director, HAŠK Mladost.
Mario Čelan: Director at Educatorium.
Domagoj Crnković: Senior Education Associate, PISMO Inkubator (SIMORA).
Radivoje Drobnjak: Head of the Sector for Innovative Programs and Projects, Science and Technology Park of Montenegro.
The discussion will be moderated by Marina Braletić (Project Manager, Five Grupa), focusing on strategies that bridge technology with the sustainability of sports organizations.
