Olympic Movement contributes actively to the “European Week of Sport Beyond Borders” seminar in Kiev

Olympic Movement contributes actively to the “European Week of Sport Beyond Borders” seminar in Kiev

For the second time the European Week of Sport went beyond the EU borders, as in this year’s edition  non-EU countries were also participating in the Week. To celebrate the success of the activities beyond the EU, the European Commission organised a high-level Seminar “European Week of Sport Beyond Borders” in Kiev, Ukraine, on 28 October. The event was hosted by the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.

In the morning the programme included an expert seminar. The policy introduction was given by the Head of European Commission’s Sport Unit, Yves Le Lostecque with Mykola Movchan from the Ukrainian Olympic Committee and Heidi Sulander, Chair of the Working Party on Sport under the Finnish EU Presidency. Second session included a tour de table by the national coordinating bodies of the European Week of Sport, where also National Olympic Committees of Ukraine, Serbia and France shared their experiences on the 2019 edition, as these NOCs serve as national coordinating bodies. Third session was dedicated to EU funding opportunities, and in this session EOC EU Office Deputy Director Heidi Pekkola gave a brief introduction to the possibilities for sport to benefit from the EU’s external funding programmes for Eastern Europe, Western Balkans and Turkey.

In the afternoon the programme featured a high-level round table on “How to attract people to practice more sport?” In his opening words, President Bubka shared the good experiences of the NOC as national coordinating body of the Week: “The NOC of Ukraine pays great attention to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle besides the development of high-level sport. With the European Week of Sport in Ukraine, we organised events in different parts of our country, which attracted thousands of participants. Our famous Olympians have been actively promoting the Week as EWoS Ambassadors.” Olympic movement was furthermore present in the programme with a testimony on the legacy of Pierre de Coubertin, given by his great-grandnephew Yvan de Navacelle de Coubertin, who shared interesting insights on the history of the Olympic movement and its links to world diplomacy.

The introduction part was followed by two panels both discussing the topic “How to attract people to practice more sport?” – first one focusing on the traditional sports and second one on new sports. In the first panel, President Bubka highlighted the role of early positive experiences and raised the role of schools as well as the pedagogic skills of instructors and coaches being crucial. In the same panel, Vice-President of the European Volleyball Confederation, Özkan Mutlugil, presented their new  Erasmus+ sport co-financed project called “Play Volleball, Grow with it”, where they work with schools to attract more kids to start volleyball. In the second panel, Dr. Maja Makovec Brenčič, President of the International Committee of the NOC of Slovenia contributed to the discussion by presenting the role of new sports.

The European Week of Sport takes place every year on 23-30 September – this year already for the fifth time. The 2019 edition involved 47 partner organisations in 42 countries. The European Olympic Committees is one of the official partners of the Week since the very beginning.

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