The 2023 EU Sport Forum is taking place in Stockholm, Sweden, from May 2-3, under the Swedish Presidency of the Council of Europe. The forum opened by Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner, and Tomasz Frankowski, member of the European Parliament.
EMCA is represented in Sweden at the 2023 EU Sport Forum by Bojan Mijatovic, Director of Development and Sustainability of EMCA.
The main focus of this year’s event is on the most pressing issues in the sports sector, with a particular emphasis on integrity, good governance, and gender equality. In addition, the forum will address sustainability in major sporting events, the significance of sports for physical and mental health, and how best to support athletes in developing skills and qualifications during and after their sports careers.
On April 23rd, 2023, the project “STAY! DECREASING TEENAGE DROPOUT IN SPORT” held its inaugural online kick-off meeting with all partners in attendance. During the meeting, initial deliverables were presented, and an overview of the project’s objectives and tasks scheduled for completion during the Preparation phase was outlined.
Preparation Phase Accomplishments
Before the kick-off meeting, several key actions were taken to establish a solid foundation for the project’s success:
– Individual Meetings: HAŠK Mladost, the project’s coordinator, conducted individual meetings with each partner to craft initial deliverables that set up the project’s operational framework and communication protocols.
– D1.1 Quality Management System: Outlines internal standards and recommendations for project management, including processes for document checks, content quality assessment, and compliance with project and EU regulations.
– D1.2 Project Roadmap: Offers a practical guide for streamlined project management, fostering efficient communication and collaboration among team members.
– D4.1 Communication and Dissemination Guidelines: Provides a strategy for communicating and disseminating project outcomes, engaging with target audiences, and maximizing impact.
The kick-off meeting marked an important milestone, setting the stage for the successful implementation of the project’s goals and objectives. The project’s launch and preparation phases laid the groundwork for subsequent activities, including fostering collaboration, ensuring smooth project management, and optimizing communication with target audiences.
As the main result of the Sports&Diabetes project a Guidebook Tackling Diabetes with sport was created. Even though the project has finished in December the positive effects are just starting.
This simple, comprehensive, and easy-to-use publication that quickly provides information about the basics of doing sport when living with Type 1 diabetes is available in 5 project languages. It has been widely accepted in the diabetes community where the interest to produce 22 additional translations has been expressed.
The PDF version of the publication in five partner languages as well as versions in other languages, and additional materials are available at sportsanddiabetes.eu.
This is the first project where EMCA is the coordinator. The 30-month project officially commenced in February 2023, where the kick off meeting was held in Brussels.
The meeting set out the various project phases and was a great opportunity for the technical partner, SS Lazio Teqball, to provide a better understanding for all partners as to the 5 Teq sports that the project will be promoting.
The first EMCA general assembly and conference for this year was successfully held in Brussels on 31 January 2023. The occasion also marked the 10-year anniversary since EMCA was formed.
The Executive Committee provided feedback on the work done in the last year for the association and developments made.
The European Commission and European Education and Culture Executive Agency hosted the first in-person Erasmus+ Sport Info Day on January 30, 2023, since the Covid-19 pandemic.
EMCA’s participants were informed about the and funding opportunities of the Erasmus+ program and were given the opportunity to network and initiate contacts with potential project partners.
The final conference of the Radical (Ex) Change project, under the theme “Mitigating Radicalisation through Sport”, took place on 8 December 2022, in Athens, Greece, organised by the International Olympic Truce Centre. The conference was organized within the framework of ‘Network for the exchange of good practices on the integration of youngsters at risk of radicalisation through sport’ (Radical (Ex)Change) project.
Radical (Ex) Change is a two-year Preparatory Action funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture – Unit C4 (Sport), which aims at developing a collaborative network amongst the organisations working on Sport for Development and Peace and those engaged in the prevention of marginalisation and radicalisation (through sport or not).
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative aimed at tackling the concerning dropout rate among teenagers in sports. The project, titled “STAY! DECREASING TEENAGE DROPOUT IN SPORT,” launched in December 2022, is designed to address and minimize the dropout rate of teenagers aged 13-20 from sports clubs, encouraging their continued engagement in sports and physical activities.
The Need for Action
Modern society presents significant challenges for teenagers, with obligations in school, society, and personal lives leading to a staggering 70% dropout rate in sports within this age group. In line with the EU Physical Activity Act’s directive to increase participation in sports and physical activities, this project aims to reduce teenage dropout from a different angle. By retaining teenage athletes, we aim to see a rise in sports participation overall.
Project Focus
Strengthening the capacity of coaches and sports associations: To address the dropout problem effectively.
Developing policies for dropout prevention: Collaborating with local policymakers to recognize and address the issue.
Creating an E-learning platform: Gathering all relevant materials for tackling teenage sports dropout.
Project Duration and Partners
The project began on December 1, 2022, and will continue until the end of May 2025, with several partners working together:
SC Levski Sport for All: Project partner / Bulgaria
SUS: Project partner / Slovenia
This collaborative effort will focus on equipping clubs and coaches with the necessary tools to curb the dropout rate, fostering an environment conducive to teenage athletes remaining engaged in sports.
EMCA, represented by Bojan Mijatovic, was present at the EU Sport Forum in Lille, France. This year’s theme was ‘European Sport: fair, inclusive and fit for a sustainable future’, values which EMCA seeks to promote within its activities.
The EU Sport Forum is an annual event organized by the European Commission in support of the continuous dialogue with the European and international sport community. It is a central meeting point between sport organizations, representatives of the EU Institutions and Member States exchanging views on the current and future sport policies.
