The final conference of the transnational project Rainbow Youth for Sporting Equality (RYSE) took place in a hybrid form on Saturday, December 4 – in Zagreb, and online.

The conference was moderated by Mr Andrej Pisl, representing the European University Sports Association (EUSA) and its Institute. The event explored the LGBTIQ+ young people's experiences in physical education and youth activism, examined some good practice examples of inclusive sports spaces, and made some proposals for developing more inclusive sport.



The participants were welcomed by Mr Goran Petrovic from the City of Zagreb. On behalf of the Mayor of Zagreb Mr Tomislav Tomasevic, he expressed interest in the topic and in enabling safe sport to everyone.



Ms Simona Topolinjak from the City of Ljubljana presented the initiatives of the municipality in the field of human rights and specifically on the topic of LGBTIQ+ inclusion and safeguarding, also supporting the local organisations and their activities.



The first keynote speech was made by Mr Havard Ovregard from the Norwegian Olympic Committee. Mr Ovregard shared the path of the national highest body for sport when it comes to challenging homophobia, lesbophobia, biphobia, transphobia, as well as sharing his personal experiences in working in this field.



The second keynote speaker was Mr Jordan Daly, who shared his story and experiences as a young gay man in education and sport, and how this lead to the creation of the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign and charity in Scotland.



The RYSE project, its main aims and activities was presented by Hugh Torrance from LEAP Sports Scotland. Mr Torrance illustrated how the inputs of young people from the United Kingdom, Slovenia and Croatia contributed in creating a RYSE Charter for inclusive sport, as well as the educational materials that will be shortly publicly available.



As another example of good practice, prof. Jayne Caudwell from the University of Bournemouth (GBR) shared the research and activities carried out by the university on transgender and non-binary youth, mainly using swimming in a safe environment.



The importance and opportunities in open educational resources (OER) and open sustainable media were presented by Zeljko Blace from Queer Sport Split. These resources can be used and are applicable also and especially for minorities and vulnerable groups, like LGBTIQ+ youth.



A panel discussion on LGBTIQ+ experiences in physical education and youth sport, moderated by Mr Boris Vrdoljak from Queer Sport Zagreb, brought together the experiences of young LGBTIQ+ youth representatives from Croatia, Slovenia and Scotland. Nina, Ivan, Kelcey and Nina shared their stories and views on the importance of inclusive sport and safe environment.



The online event was concluded by the panel discussion and wrap-up by Hugh Torrance from LEAP, while the in-person event in Zagreb continued also with lunch, followed by a networking session, further discussion on physical education and sport for LGBTIQ+ people, interviews with queer activists and planning the next steps. The event was also streamed, and is available for public viewing.



Rainbow Youth for Sporting Equality (RYSE) is a multilateral European project which looks to improve experiences for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) young people in sport. The project is co-funded by Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

More information: https://queersport.eu/projects/rainbow-youth-for-sporting-equality/