As EPAS CC Gender Equality Rapporteur, ENGSO Office Director Marie Denitton participated in the EPAS CC meeting and the conference.
ENGSO Youth (EY) was present as well; EY Chair Ugne Chmeliauskaitė, EY Policy Manager Tiago Guilherme and EY Alumni Club member Fabio Silva are taking part in the youth initiative which was put forward by Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth.
Worth mentioning is that ENGSO was also one of the few organisations which has a youth committee.
The conference brought together representatives from more than 40 countries, alongside member organisations of the EPAS Consultative Committee. This year’s event also included a group of youth delegates which are part of a dedicated initiative to engage younger voices in the event.
The event aimed to address critical issues in the governance of sport, focusing on enhancing cooperation and transparency among various stakeholders. Focus sessions addressed two highly relevant topics: Gender Equality and Dual Career. It also includes a session dedicated to the 10th Anniversary of the Macolin Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions.
The opening day commenced with remarks from Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, alongside Pedro Duarte, the Portuguese Minister for Parliamentary Affairs with responsibility for Sport, and Linda Hofstad Helleland, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Culture, Science, Education, and Media.
Prior to the session on the European Sports Charter, attendees were welcomed by Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee. Additional speakers included Pedro Duarte, Raymon Blondel, President of the European Paralympic Committee, Benny Bonsu, Director of Daily Content at Olympic Channel Services, Morten Schmidt, Director of Programmes at the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, and Gévrise Emane, Olympic Champion in Judo and Lifestyle Athletes Manager at the French National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP).
You can learn more about the conference here.