Sport makes our societies better by making us more active, respectful, caring and inclusive: it unites us through values. For sport to thrive, more collaborative governing and good governance are key. Collaborative governing and good governance in sport will thus be at the core of the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport that will take place on 9 October in Porto (Portugal), organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) in co-operation with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ).
Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, will open the event together with Pedro Duarte, Portuguese Minister for Parliamentary Affairs responsible for Sport, and Linda Hofstad Helleland, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Champion in Fencing, will deliver a video address at the opening of the spotlight session on the European Sports Charter. Speakers will include 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 Sport4Good Foundation, and Gévrise Emane, Olympic Champion in Judo and Lifestyle Athletes Manager at the French National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP).
The Conference will bring together representatives from over 40 countries as well as representatives of the member organisations of the EPAS Consultative Committee. This year’s edition will also include a group of youth delegates as part of a specific youth initiative.
Two focus sessions will take place on 10 October on leadership through gender equality in sport and dual career. Gianluca Esposito, Council of Europe Director General for Human Rights and the Rule of Law, and Pedro Dias, Portuguese Secretary of State for Sport, will open the sessions. Speakers in the gender equality session will include Annamarie Phelps, Chair of the UK Secretariat and Co-Chair of the Global Executive at the International Working Group on Women & Sport (IWG), and Ticha Penicheiro, former professional American basketball player. Speakers in the dual career session will include Vitor Pardal, National Coordinator of the Portuguese High-Performance Sports Units in School, and Gévrise Emane.
The Conference will be preceded on 8 October by an event marking the 10th Anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention). André Villas Boas, President of FC Porto, will deliver an opening statement. Three panel discussions will cover the Convention’s major achievements over the past decade, challenges faced and overcome, as well as future perspectives.
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