04 Nov EASM represented at the 17th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport
The 17th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport took place from 25-27 October in Antalya, Turkey. EASM’s Vice President Karin Book represented the Association and shared an interesting report about her experiences:
“Sport could have the potential to unite and create health, but it requires re-thinking and co-operation. In other words: sound and sustainable sport management.
I had the pleasure of representing European Association for Sport Management EASM as the Association is a member of the Consultative Committee of EPAS (Enlarged Partial Agreement of Sport). The conference had two overarching themes: “Sport for all: Uniting Us for Stronger Societies” and “Rethinking Sport: Leading the Way for a Healthy and Sustainable Future”.
The conference had many highlights. Specifically, the following things are worth mentioning:
Statements from the participating representatives from different nations were mixed with concrete, inspiring efforts and projects, from top organisations such as European Olympic Committee/International Olympic Committee – IOC, the International Paralympic Committee and UEFA to grassroots initiatives. For example, the female, afghan football coach Nagin Ravand in Denmark made a great impression on me.
I was delighted to see that half of the invited speakers and panelists were women, which is not always the case in sport-related environments. Also, the speakers represented a variety of different organisations, cultures, sports and backgrounds. A broad representation is essential in order to rethink sport and develop sustainable sports for all!
It is great that the themes of the conference finally are on everyone’s lips. However, going from words to lasting actions has proven difficult. Therefore, I can see an ever increasing need for efficient, innovative, up-to date sport management to take on the challenges of making sport organisations inclusive and sustainable. There is obviously a need for organisations like EASM to guide the future of sport.”
