Tag: EMCA

The European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) actively participated in the annual conference of the Fédération Française des Clubs Omnisports (FFCO), held in Paris. This event is a flagship gathering for multisport in France, bringing together key stakeholders, organizations, and club representatives to promote sports as a tool for social cohesion and development.

This year’s conference, organized by the FFCO, was dedicated to enhancing sports accessibility for all, regardless of age, gender, or social background. EMCA’s presence, led by its President Christina Tsiligkiri and other high-ranking officials, highlighted the importance of European collaboration in advancing multisport at an international level.

The event also welcomed Vanina Milanova, Presidnet of the Asembly of EMCA, and Polat Bengiserp, President of TaqSport, a member of the European Multisport Club Association. Also with them was Lusien Velchen, President of Levski Sport for All, who are also a member of EMCA. Their participation reinforced EMCA’s commitment to fostering strong relationships with organizations and clubs across Europe.

The conference provided an excellent platform for the exchange of ideas and best practices. Discussions focused on the significance of multisport as a means to promote social inclusion, equality, and sustainable development. Additionally, the role of sports in creating innovative solutions to address contemporary social and cultural challenges was underscored.

Special attention was given to FFCO’s initiatives, which serve as a model for organizing multisport clubs and managing programs tailored to diverse social groups. FFCO President Gerard Pierraeu-Bezouille and Vice President Dennis Lafoux warmly welcomed the EMCA delegation, emphasizing the importance of collaboration in promoting sports as a driver of social change.

Through its participation in the conference, EMCA reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the values of multisport at local, national, and international levels. With unwavering dedication to the principles of sustainability, innovation, and inclusion, the federation continues to amplify the voice of sports across Europe.

EMCA expressed its gratitude to the Fédération Française des Clubs Omnisports (FFCO) for their outstanding hospitality and productive discussions. The connections forged during the event lay a solid foundation for future collaborations, further strengthening sports as a catalyst for social and cultural development.

The first Erasmus+ Sport Catalunya meeting was successfully held in Barcelona, Spain, organized by the Sant Cugat Creix team, a member of the European Multisport Clubs Association (EMCA). This event marked a milestone for the Erasmus+ Sport program as it celebrated its 10th anniversary.

EMCA was represented by its President, Christina Tsiligkiri, who highlighted the significance of sports as a tool for fostering collaboration, development, and international visibility. During the meeting, 18 innovative projects were showcased, demonstrating the power of sports to unite different stakeholders, enhance social cohesion, and promote European values.

The event was attended by distinguished figures, including the President of Sant Cugat Creix, Miguel Martinez, the Mayor of the city, Josep Maria Valles, and the representative of the European Commission in Barcelona, Laura Rahola.

EMCA continues to expand its reach and influence across Europe. In recent years, the federation has developed new strategic partnerships, positioning multisport as a key pillar of social development.

EMCA’s participation in the Erasmus+ Sport Catalunya meeting represents another step forward in strengthening partnerships and promoting its vision for sports as a unifying and inspiring force.

The International Teqball Tournament was completed with great success at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, Piraeus Greece, gathering top athletes from six European countries. The tournament, held under the auspices of the Municipality of Piraeus and organized by Olympiacos, as part of the European Erasmus+ program, offered a unique spectacle and highlighted the growing momentum of the sport of Teqball at the European level.

In the final matches, Lazio’s team claimed first place in both singles and doubles, while the Hask team won in the mixed doubles category. The award ceremony for the winners took place in the presence of representatives from sports authorities, the Municipality of Piraeus, and the organizing committee.

The International Teqball Tournament strengthened the bonds of cooperation between the participating countries, confirming the European Union’s strong commitment to promoting sports and the values of cooperation, solidarity, and fair play. The participation of athletes from various European countries showcased the international dimension of the tournament and its significance for the development of Teqball in Europe.

The Erasmus+ program and the support of the Municipality of Piraeus were crucial to the success of this event, laying the foundations for future initiatives and collaborations in the field of sports.

The European Multisport Club Association (EMCA) participated in the GSIC Summit by Microsoft in Madrid, Spain, where the European DigiRoot project was presented. The DigiRoot project aims to foster digital innovation and enhance grassroots sports clubs across Europe by promoting the adoption of modern technologies that improve their operations and sustainability.

During the presentation, key representatives of EMCA, including President Christina Tsiligkiri, Development and Sustainability Director Bojan Mijatovic (HASK Mladost), Finance Director Malte Kalsbach (Bayern Leverkusen), and President of the General Assembly Vanina Milanova (Levski Sports for All), participated. The discussion was moderated by Guillermo Marín, Innovation Services Director at GSIC.

Malte Kalsbach, who played a pivotal role in developing the project, elaborated on the benefits of DigiRoot, explaining how digital solutions can support the sustainability of all sports clubs. His input particularly highlighted the opportunities the program opens up not only for EMCA members but for sports clubs across Europe.

“Levski-Sport for all” hosted a final meeting of the coordinators of ” FUNNY – fun athletics” in Sofia, during which the benefits of the training were presented, the participants shared experiences and discussed the possibilities for upgrading.

FUNNY – fun athletics” program was developed by the Association “Levski – Sport for All” to support physical education teachers and coaches in elementary education by type of sport. The purpose of the activities is for children to have maximum fun and gain basic physical skills in any environment, through a game approach and using non-specialized sports equipment. Teachers can organize games anywhere, using the gifts of nature: a cone instead of a ball, a stick instead of a stick, drawing in the sand instead of chalk and paint, etc.

The program was practically implemented for one year in the Association “Levski-Sports for All” together with SK Athletics “Levski-Sofia” for Bulgaria, ASD POLISPORT.PONTEVECCHIO for Italy and MSG Panserraikos for Greece. “Levski” organized classes in Sofia and Varshets with the participation of students from 10 schools, the Italian partner held the classes in 4 schools from the municipality of Bologna, and the Greek partner in 3 schools from Serres and with two of its sports academies, football and basketball.

For the qualitative implementation of the set goals, the partners commissioned Prof. Nina Atanasova from the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy to develop a “Handbook for outdoor sports activities”, which was also translated into English.

The project partners organized training for 40 coaches and managers based on the handbook and distributed it for free use by interested teachers and coaches, not only in their own network but also in that of the European Association of Multi-Sport Clubs.

A special guest at the event was Tsvetelina Kirilova , national indoor 1000m record holder and semi-finalist in the 400m hurdles at the Olympic Games and World Championships, multiple champion of Bulgaria at 400m, 800m and 400m hurdles, and currently one from the best conditioning specialists. Today, he takes care of the physical form of the national rhythmic gymnastics team.

She pointed out how important the role of this initiative is in attracting more children to practice athletics.

Todor Stefanov, chairman of the Levski-Sofia athletics club and OSK Levski, presented the historical role of the athletics section, the most successful in this sport with numerous medals from Olympic, world and European championships, as well as the look into the future , development apart from an elite direction and groups for sports for all.

Lucien Velchev, chairman of the “Levski – Sport for All” Association and coordinator of project activities for Bulgaria and Vanina Milanova – President of the Assembly of the European Association of Multi-Sport Clubs, gen. secretary of the Association “Levski – Sport for All” and project manager, told how the FUNNY project , co-financed by the European Commission , was created, how the activities under it were managed and coordinated, not only in Bulgaria, but also in the partner network, how created the fun cure manual as well as specific results.

The head of the project for Bulgaria is Vanina Milanova, gen. secretary of the Levski-Sports for All Association and president of the assembly of the European Association of Multi-Sport Clubs .

Konstantinos Gkountoulas – Director of Communications, Project Manager of MSG Panserraikos and Coordinator of Project Activities told how it was implemented in Greece. The multi-sport club has settled on a model directed in two directions, on the one hand sports events in 3 schools of the city of Serres with disadvantaged children, and on the other hand two of the club’s sports academies (basketball and football) have included fun athletics exercises , for warming up and cooling down the little athletes.

Emiliano Negrini – member of the management board, and communications manager of ASD POLISPORT.PONTEVECCHIO and coordinator of the sports activities of the project for Italy. The Italian partner has included the FUNNY project in its program to provide a social service to 4 schools in the municipality of Bologna, engaging nearly 900 children in activities.

“Handbook for outdoor sports activities”, Prof. Nina Atanasova, can be found in the E-library of “Levski-Sport for all”.