The EU Sport Forum is an annual event organised by the European Commission
in support of the continuous dialogue with the European and international sport
community, serving as a central meeting point between sport organisations,
representatives of the EU Institutions and Member States exchanging views on
the current and future sport policies.
The traditional EU Sport Forum,
key annual event supporting
dialogue within the European
sport community, was held in
Liege, Belgium on April 16 and
17, 2024.
The event was organised by
the European Commission, in
cooperation with the Belgian
Presidency of the Council of the
European Union, with key sport
and sport-related organisations,
institutions and decision-
makers in attendance. EUSA
was represented at the event by
Andrej Pisl, Projects and Policy
Manager.
In the run-up to the Paris 2024
Olympic Games, the European
sports community at the Forum
discussed integrity, sustainability,
youth in a digital age, and gender
equality. The event promoted
the exchange of perspectives
on sports policies, contributing
to the collective advancement of
the European sports landscape.
Brainstorming and exchange
sessions also took place for
stakeholders to support the EU
in formulating its future sports
policies.Official opening with welcome
addresses and speeches were
given by Iliana Ivanova, European
Commissioner for Innovation,
Research, Culture, Education
and Youth; Pierre-Yves Jeholet,
Alternate Minister-President
of the Government of the
Federation Wallonia-Brussels;
and Tomasz Frankowski, Member
of the European Parliament, and
Co-Chair Sport Group in the
European Parliament.The event was kicked off with
the keynote speeches made by
Jean-Michel Saive, Olympian,
and President of the Belgian
Olympic Committee; and Samuel
Ducroquet, Ambassador for
Sport, French Ministry for Europe
and Foreign Affairs.The first high-level panel focused
on Paris2024 Olympics andUEFA EURO 2024 as vehicles for
EU values, where the panellists
discussed various topics related
to these mega sports events
hosted in Europe this summer.The EU Sport Forum was
also used as an occasion to
present the #BeInclusive EU
Sport Awards. All finalists were
recognised in 3 key categories.
The awards were received
by: Urban Youth Games
by Olympic Urban Festival,
Belgium in category Breaking
Barriers, DIF get2sport by
Danish Olympic Committee and
Sports Confederation, Denmark
in category BeEqual and
Together4Ukraine by Champions
Factory, Bulgaria in category
Sport for Peace.In the afternoon, several parallel
sessions were held; starting with
Fair Play – Integrity and values of
athletes; Women in sport; Green
and sustainable sport; Youth and
health in the digital age; Athletes’
rights.The second day started with
a high-level panel: Dialogue
on new perspectives for the
European football ecosystem,
followed by parallel session
focused on Lifelong sport; and
Harvesting ideas for the future of
EU sport policy.The last full session was focused
on Commission presentation on
priorities and developments in
EU sport policy and Erasmus+;
presented by Floor van Houdt,
Head of Sport Unit, DG EAC of
the European Commission and
Luciano di Fonzo, Acting Head
of Unit for Erasmus Mundus and
Sport, Education and Culture
Executive Agency.MORE INFO:
sport.ec.europa.eu/initiatives/
eu-sport-forumEU SPORT FORUM
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