From 25 to 27 October, Antalya, Turkey, welcomed the 17th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport. The Conference, coordinated by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) gathered representatives from 54 countries.
President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) Spyros Capralos delivered a speech on the theme of “Rethinking Sport: Leading the Way for a Healthy and Sustainable Future”. Capralos reaffirmed the importance of sport for health by reiterating the findings of the 2022 Eurobarometer, which found that 45% of Europeans never engage in any form of physical activity. As a result, he highlighted the role of sports in creating positive social impact and improving well-being in order to ensure healthier societies.
Furthermore, President Capralos reiterated the IOC and EOC’s commitment to gender equality, in particular to ensuring that women and girls have equal access to sport and highlighted the ambition to make Paris 2024 the first-ever gender-balanced Olympic Games.
Finally, expressing commitment to climate action, he also emphasised the Olympic movement’s commitment to make all Olympic Games climate-positive from 2030 onwards. He notably stated that the EOC aimed to become a signatory of the UN Sport for Climate Action Framework.
In addition, the event saw Turkey and North Macedonia sign the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions - also known as the Macolin Convention. The Convention has now been signed by 41 countries.