European Sport Platform 2024
This year, for its seventh edition, ENGSO organized its European Sport platform from the 21st to the 23rd of November in Pristina, Kosovo, hosted by the Kosovo Olympic Committee.
This event represents a platform facilitating networking, building bridges, providing high quality content on core topics of the European grassroots movement, and building capacity through hands-on experiences and interactive workshops.
Under the theme of “Values of sport: building bridges in a united Europe”, the 2024 European Sport Platform was an opportunity to shape the future of the European grassroots sport while discussing and exchanging experiences on how to equip organisations and clubs in analysing how our society can advance thanks to values such as integrity, equality and good governance in sport. It was also the occasion to unite and strengthen the European grassroots sport movement and discuss the role and impact of sport in building stronger communities and more peaceful societies also through the promotion of EU values.
The event started with the Sports as Value final conference built around the Erasmus+ funded project Sports as Value, that offered research and insightful discussions about Balkan grassroots sport and the importance of integrating European values within it with a goal of building more peaceful societies in a historically fragmented region. The team behind the project presented key learnings and outputs of this two-year long initiative that united national Olympic Committees and Universities from Balkan countries with EU sport organisations. The programme of the conference included two main sessions: Presentation of the research by University of Pristina; and Showcasing of a good practices on implementation of values in sport from Portugal.
ENGSO President Stefan Bergh officially opened the 2024 European Sport Platform (ESP), extending heartfelt thanks to the hosts, the Kosovo Olympic Committee, and its President, Ismet Krasniqi, and Iber Alaj, Director of the Department of Sport in the Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports (Kosovo). He expressed appreciation for their warm welcome and the valuable opportunity to bring together ENGSO members and the European grassroots sport community in Pristina, Kosovo
In his opening address, ENGSO President highlighted the event's deeper significance, stating: “Sport possesses an extraordinary power to unite communities, foster connections, and uphold values that nurture peace, solidarity, and friendship. This year’s European Sport Platform, hosted by our ENGSO member, the Kosovo Olympic Committee, in Pristina, serves as a true bridge-building opportunity for everyone committed to strengthening grassroots sports across Europe. I am grateful to our hosts and the wider European sports community for making this inspiring gathering possible.”
Marking the occasion, the ENGSO President also congratulated the Kosovo Olympic Committee on their 10th anniversary, commending a decade of impactful efforts to advance regional development and unify communities through the transformative power of sport.
Continuing the insightful conversation on values, day two began with a session on the EU enlargement process and the role sport carries in this process. Mimika Dobroshi, representing Kosovo Erasmus+ Office Head, and Edith Zuschmann, President, CEO, and Co-Founder of 261 Fearless, took the stage to discuss Erasmus+ opportunities and finding new ways to financially support and maintain organisations.
The workshops that followed discussed trending issues, including integrity in sports, the prevention of match-fixing within European sports, and the safeguarding of young people's mental health. Lisa Wainwrigh, representing the Sport and Recreation Alliance’s Sports Betting Group, Evangelos Alexandrakis from the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions, and Karen Moorhouse of the International Tennis Integrity Agency, delivered insights into match-fixing and its impact across all levels of sport, from elite to grassroots. In the second workshop, Erik van Haaren, Vice-Chair of ENGSO Youth and representative of NOC*NSF, highlighted the significance of protecting the mental health of young athletes, stressing its essential role in fostering a safe and supportive sporting environment.
Earlier that day, the ENGSO ExCom confirmed Sarah Townsend as a new Vice Chair of the Equality Within Sport (EWS) Committee. We, as EUSA, congratulate Sarah for her commitment and we are looking forward to collaborating for an inclusive future for sports.
Day three, November 23, 2024, included workshops on the lasting legacy of major sporting events, human rights and equality, and the role of cities in inspiring healthier and active communities. Gerard Esteva Viladecans, President of Unió de Federacions Esportives de Catalunya; Besim Aliti, Secretary General of the Kosovo Olympic Committee; and Petra Gantnerova from the Slovak Olympic Committee, discussed the lasting legacy of major sporting events on grassroots sports and society.
The final session of the day, focused on building a strong grassroots sports movement to sustain active participation and foster healthier, more connected lives through physical activity.
As a tradition, the event concluded with a ceremony that passed the ENGSO flag from Pristina to Oslo and Barcelona. Gerard Esteva, President of the Catalan Sports Federations Union (UFEC), welcomed everyone to Barcelona, Spain, the next host of the European Sport Platform, while ENGSO ExCom member Magnus Sverdrup invited everyone to the ENGSO General Asembly 2025 which will be held on June 13-15, 2025 , in Oslo, Norway.
*Photos and content provided by ENGSO.
For more information, please see https://engso.eu/