On 23 March, the European Commission hosted the 7th meeting of the Expert Group on Covid-19 Sport recovery. The meeting gathered representatives of Member States and sports organisations who discussed the multifaceted long-term impacts of the Covid-19 crisis on sport.

First, Floor Van Houdt, Head of the Sport Unit of the European Commission informed the group about the outcomes of the first subgroup meeting dedicated to the Expert Group’s recommendations. Then, she announced that the Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC) will launch a study on athletes’ rights.

ENGSO President Stefan Bergh held a presentation on "full recovery and resilience start with the grassroots", that highlighted the Covid-19 pandemic’s various effects on sport in different countries and that not all nations received the same amount of financial aid to assist in their recovery. The Expert Group also discussed how the pandemic affected volunteers and sports organisations in some countries more than in others.

The main challenges for the year ahead (e.g. energy crisis, war in Ukraine) and application of best practices learned during the pandemic were then discussed by the attendees before to conclude the meeting.