Skip to main content

EMCA at EU Commission conference “The recovery of the sport sector after the COVID-19 crisis”

Senior officials from IOC, EOC, UEFA, European Parliament, European Commission, Council of EU and EU member states, sport industry and athletes and sport events’ organisers shared their views and discuss on the impact of the COVID-19 to sport.

The role of EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel 

The conference started with opening words by Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, in charge of Sport. Afterwards, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach delivered the keynote speech. The conference continued with two video testimonials and two high-level panel discussions focused on grassroots sport and competitive sport, and the sport sector more broadly:

1. ‘Key challenges and lessons learnt from the crisis for grassroots sport organisations‘;

2. ‘The impact of the crisis on growth and jobs in the sport sector and possible ways to recover’.

Speakers of the Conference

  • Brian Maguire, Moderator
  • Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
  • Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee
  • Jean Gracia, President of the European Athletics Championships Paris 2020
  • Gerd Kanter, Chair of the Athletes’ Commission of the European Olympic Committees, Olympic Champion in discus throw
  • Anna-Kaisa Pusa, Mayor of Kurikka, Finland
  • Julien Zylberstein, Chief of Governance & Stakeholder Affairs of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
  • Marc Tarabella, Member of the European Parliament, Co-Chair of the Sports Group
  • Stephan Mayer, Parliamentary Secretary of the State, Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU
  • Kirstie Simpson, Secretary General of the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE) and Associate Dean of the Chester Business School, University of Chester
  • Manuel Pauser, Vice President for Global Government & Community Affairs at adidas and Vice President of the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI)
  • Marisol Casado, Member of the International Olympic Committee and President of the International Triathlon Federation
  • Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, Minister of E ducation, Portugal