EOC EU Office presents SIGGS Project at EHF Secretaries General Conference

EOC EU Office presents SIGGS Project at EHF Secretaries General Conference

On the occasion of the 10th European Handball Federation (EHF) Secretaries General Conference in Paris on 19 and 20 April 2017, the EOC EU Office was invited to present the outcomes of the EU-funded Project ‘Support the Implementation of Good Governance in Sport’ (SIGGS). This Project was implemented by the EOC EU Office together with 11 other partner organisations in the period 2015-2016. With more than 70 participants from around 45 different national handball federations attending the EHF Conference, the presentation was an excellent opportunity to address the Secretaries General directly to demonstrate the main features of the SIGGS self-evaluation tool on good governance for national sport federations as well as to show advantages of the use of the tool and of investing time in the topic of good governance in general. 

Following the welcome by EHF President Michael Wiederer and an introduction by Folker Hellmund, Director of the EOC EU Office, who provided the political background on the EU discussions on good governance, Matthias Van Baelen as SIGGS Project Manager presented the SIGGS self-evaluation tool to the participants. The SIGGS presentation was included in the agenda under the topic of ‘services for federations’. The overall title of the Conference was ‘Activating the Community’. Matthias Van Baelen therefore stressed on several occasions in his presentation that SIGGS is indeed at the service of the federations and that there is a lot to gain from investing in the topic of good governance. Furthermore, he called upon all national federations to use the tool to evaluate the governance of their own organisation.

This keynote speech was followed by a number of parallel group discussions or ‘Break-out sessions’ covering SIGGS as well as other topics. Prior to the Conference, seven national handball federations had already taken part in the self-evaluation. This allowed the respective representatives to share their experience with the tool. They for instance highlighted the customised approach, which means that the tool is equally interesting for a small federation, mainly relying on volunteers, as for larger federations with several full time staff members. It was stressed during the workshop that it is important to convince the political level of the importance of good governance and of the possible gains for a federation, which the SIGGS tool enables you to do. Implementing good governance principles should indeed not be seen as creating a list of additional tasks, but rather as a continuous process impacting the culture of the organisation. Furthermore, it was highlighted in the discussions that small federations should be able to learn from the bigger federations. In this regard, it is important that all federations take part in the evaluation. 

The SIGGS self-evaluation tool has been open to all NOCs and national sport federations from all 50 countries of the EOC since its launch at the end of November 2016 at the SIGGS Final Conference. Following this EHF Secretaries General Conference, the SIGGS Project team hopes that even more federations will find the way to the SIGGS self-evaluation tool, available online via: siggs.novagov.com.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Website SIGGS Project

 

Recent Posts

Monthly Report Highlight - Erasmus+ in focus as EU Sport Directors meet in Poland

On 11–12 June, the Polish Council Presidency convened the EU Directors General for Sport in Wroclaw, with the Erasmus+ Sport programme 2021–2027 as one of the central points of discussion. Participants reflected on how the programme supports physical activity and fosters cooperation across the European sport sector, while also acknowledging areas for improvement.  The Erasmus+ […]

Read More
ECHR rules on right to fair hearing violation in Caster Semenya case

On 10 July, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rendered its judgement on the case Semenya v. Switzerland. The South African athlete’s complaints under Articles 8, 13, and 14 (right to respect for private life, rights to effective remedy, and prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights were ruled inadmissible, considering […]

Read More
SHARE 2.0 releases ideas papers on healthy lifestyles and mental health in sport

The SHARE 2.0 Community of Practice on health has published two “ideas papers” focused on promoting healthier lifestyles and supporting mental well-being through sport and physical activity. The first paper outlines strategies for creating health-enabling environments, such as integrating sport into urban planning, encouraging active mobility, and designing inclusive activities for all age groups. The […]

Read More

Related Posts

July 15, 2025
Monthly Report Highlight - Erasmus+ in focus as EU Sport Directors meet in Poland

On 11–12 June, the Polish Council Presidency convened the EU Directors General for Sport in Wroclaw, with the Erasmus+ Sport programme 2021–2027 as one of the central points of discussion. Participants reflected on how the programme supports physical activity and fosters cooperation across the European sport sector, while also acknowledging areas for improvement.  The Erasmus+ […]

July 11, 2025
ECHR rules on right to fair hearing violation in Caster Semenya case

On 10 July, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rendered its judgement on the case Semenya v. Switzerland. The South African athlete’s complaints under Articles 8, 13, and 14 (right to respect for private life, rights to effective remedy, and prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights were ruled inadmissible, considering […]

July 11, 2025
SHARE 2.0 releases ideas papers on healthy lifestyles and mental health in sport

The SHARE 2.0 Community of Practice on health has published two “ideas papers” focused on promoting healthier lifestyles and supporting mental well-being through sport and physical activity. The first paper outlines strategies for creating health-enabling environments, such as integrating sport into urban planning, encouraging active mobility, and designing inclusive activities for all age groups. The […]

About us

The EOC EU Office is the House of European Sport, representing the European Olympic Committees (EOC), the IOC and other major sport organisations to the European institutions in Brussels.
CONTACT
crossmenu linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram