In the period of February 1-8, we are celebrating the European Week of Winter Sport and #BeActiveWinter campaign. Promoting the project and campaign, with a special focus on university sport winter events, an online webinar was held on February 6. EWWS project is co-founded by the European Union, with the goal of encouraging participation in sport and physical activity by encouraging healthy lifestyle for all while raising awareness about climate change and promoting sustainability.

EUSA hosted the webinar to officially launch the project and outline the activities planned for the future. The discussions provided an opportunity to contextualize governing bodies EUSA and FISU and their initiatives in relation to winter sports, while also highlighting the connections between sports and climate change. This allowed participants to gain a clearer understanding of the commitments surrounding this important issue.

The webinar moderated by  Marta Studzinska, Education Officer from EUSA, featured three speakers. The first speaker, Andrej Pisl, EUSA Projects and Policy Manager at EUSA delivered a comprehensive overview of the EWWS project objectives, highlighting the significance of maintaining physical activity during the winter season.

The second speaker was Ezster Gulyas, EUSA Sports Coordinator. She announced the upcoming local activities of the European Week of Winter Sport, starting with an ice skating evening at Hala Tivoli in Ljubljana. This event will bring together EUSA staff members and university students, encouraging physical activity in a fun and engaging way. The second activity planned is a cross-country skiing session on Saturday, February 8th, in Kranjska Gora. These events are organised in cooperation with the University of Ljubljana, and have generated significant interest among students.

She then introduced the upcoming edition of the European Universities Winter Championships, which will take place in Val di Zoldo, Italy, from December 14 to 19, 2025. Additionally, Eszter emphasized EUSA's commitment to sustainability throughout its sports competitions.

Milan Augustin, FISU Director of Wolrd University Games Winter, shared key information about Torino's recent edition of the FISU winter edition of the World University Games with the participants. He emphasized the importance of environmental preservation in sports. Notably, the sporting events were held at multiple locations, which helped minimize the environmental impact of these activities. FISU's sustainability commitments and global strategy focus areas, were as well presented. 

Finally, after the presentations, a Q&A session allowed participants to reflect and discuss the future of winter sports by discussing alternative ways of practicing activities. Indeed, one of the key reflections consisted in reevaluating how we practice sports by slowing the pace and giving more value to activities that are typically more reflective. For instance, hiking and cross-country skiing are physical activities that combine both physical effort and nature contemplation. Thus, although they might be considered underrated by some in terms of performance and physicality, these types of activities, among many others, might represent the future of winter sports.

We hope that the winter sports-focus project and campaign will bring together winter sports lovers but also newcomers to enjoy the benefits of outdoor activity and build innovative ideas for grassroots winter sports!  

For more information regarding the European Week of Winter Sport and its events, please visit https://wintersportweek.com/events/.