The largest gathering of sports and policy stakeholders in Europe this year – the EU Sport Forum 2016 – was held in the Hague (NED) on March 9 and 10. The 2-day event was also attended by the representatives of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) Mr Matjaz Pecovnik and Andrej Pisl.

The event kicked off with an official opening and statements by the representatives of the European Commission as the main organiser of the event, the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the City of Hague as the host and the European Olympic Committees representing the sports community.



The Forum, held in the historic Grand Hotel Amrath Kurhaus in Scheveningen, attracted over 300 participants, leading representatives from European institutions, international and European sport federations, the Olympic movement, European and national sport umbrella organisations and other sport-related organisations. The presence and participation of European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Mr Tibor Navracsics signalled strong commitment to supporting sport on European level.



University sport was represented not only by EUSA, but also by the International University Sports Federation (FISU), national university sports federations of Germany and Finland, as well as some universities.



EUSA used the forum also as a networking opportunity and discussions with European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation (ENGSO and ENGSO Youth), European Athlete as Student - Dual Career Network (EAS), European Network of Academic Sports Services (ENAS), as well as some other organisations and institutions as our existing and potential partners for future cooperation and projects. Among the participants was also the President of the European Handball Federation (EHF) Mr Jean Brihault who will receive a special award at this year’s EUSA Assembly for model cooperation and 10th anniversary of Handball in EUSA sports events.



This year's Forum tackled key issues that are facing EU sport including how sport can support the integration of migrants and how to ensure good governance for the world of sport. Participants were also updated on the EU sport policy and preparations for the 2016 edition of the European Week of Sport.



The Forum was an opportunity to present the outcomes of the 1st edition of the European Week of Sport, showcasing good examples by the national coordinators and European partners, among which EUSA was also one of the partners, promoting the week and the #beactive campaign not only in September, but throughout the year.



Sessions were available also by live streaming at http://ec.europa.eu/sport/forum/ where key presentations will shortly be made available.