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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 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.

With a dynamic opening session led by EMCA President Ms. Christina Tsiligkiri and the President of Sant Cugat Creix, Miquel Martinez, the European Meeting on Sport and Innovation officially commenced in Spain.

The first day focused on the development of key European Erasmus+ programmes, highlighting EMCA’s role as a vital bridge between sporting excellence and social responsibility.

The workshops placed particular emphasis on three flagship projects:

• SPEED, addressing the prevention of eating disorders among young athletes,
• PERISCOPE, promoting good governance and ethical monitoring in sport, and
• DIGIROOTS, serving as a roadmap for the digital transformation of sports organisations.
• M.A.D. Padel addressing ingergenerational sport for mother and daughters through Padel
• HERIZON aiming at safe and secure sporting environments for female hockey players,
• DiaPS – Diabetes Digital Peer Support – aiming at safe sport participation for people with diabetes through digital peer support and targeted training.

In her address, Ms. Tsiligkiri stated:
“Today demonstrates that multisport clubs are not merely competitive entities, but hubs of innovation. Through our collaboration with academic institutions and international partners, we transform sports expertise into tangible benefits for the younger generation.”