Europese conferentie over sportparticipatie in Kopenhagen (en)

Together with the Danish sports organisations, the Danish EU i Presidency will place the qualities and the challenges of sport for all on the agenda of the EU. Sport for all holds opportunities and perspectives that go far beyond the participation in sport as such.

As part of the Danish EU Presidency in the first six months of 2012, the Ministry of Culture together with actors in Danish sportwill hold a large-scale EU conference at Bella Center, Copenhagen, on 19-20 March-called SportVision2012.

A total of 375 decision-makers and experts from a number of EU Member States, who are involved in a broad spectrum of European sport for all, will convene for the fully booked conference.

With this conference, the organisers wish to set a new agenda for how to make more Europeans participate actively in sport and for how to develop a doping-free sport environment for people who like to exercise. At the same time, the organisers wish to draw attention to the fact that the Danish sport for all model holds a great manyside benefits for a large number of areas, including for example volunteering, community spirit, health, integration and democracy. The qualities of sport for all cover such a broad spectrum that it can play a role in contributing to reaching the EU 2020 growth and employment targets.

In a European context, Danish sport wishes to be seen as a source of inspiration and to gain inspiration from other countries in the field of sport for all - and the ambition is that the SportVision2012 conference will provide the starting point for this.

Similarly, the conference will place focus on the challenges of sport for all and offer an incentive to finding common solutions at European level. Therefore, at SportVision2012, great importance will be attached to issues such as fitnessdoping and the future financing of sport for all.

Three tracks

The SportVision 2012 conference has been divided up into three overall tracks: Volunteering, Fitness Doping as well as Financing and Health.

The Volunteering track provides participants with an insight into how to handle the challenges that volunteers face, including education, recognition, legal frameworks and recruitment.

The Fitness Doping track focuses on doping as a European societal and health problem in line with the EU Commission White Paper in the area of sport. This track will, among other things, offer an insight into the causes of doping abuse as well as outline new measures and challenges, from trade in doping substances to prevention and the treatment of anabolic steroid users.

The Financing and Health track gives the participants an insight into how the preventive aspect of sport may play a significant role in relation to EU Member States’ way of addressing and dealing with health with a view to improving public health in Europe. Moreover, this track will highlight the significance of sport for all in a socioeconomic perspective.

Keynote speakers

The list of keynote speakers includes EU Commissioner for Sport Androulla Vassiliou i and Danish Minister for Culture Uffe Elbæk. Furthermore, the conference will be attended by Stefan Szymanski PhD, University of Michigan, who will discuss the economic significance of sport for all in relation to European growth and the European economy. Similarly, the conference will be attended by Jane Ashworth of the organisation StreetGames inthe UK, who will tell about her work at integrating sport in the everyday lives of young people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

The conference also features Harrison G. Pope Jr., who will talk about ordinary boys and men who focus on developing a more muscular body and the risk implied in using steroids and other doping substances that constitute a threat to human health. A total of approximately 60 speakers will address the conference.

More info about the conference

For further information, please contact:

President Niels Nygaard, National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF)

Tel: + 45 20 73 71 12

President Peder Bisgaard, Danish Federation for Company Sports

Tel: +45 24 45 30 15

President Søren Møller, Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI)

Tel: +45 23 28 02 34

Director Lone Hansen, Anti Doping Denmark

Tel: + 45 43 26 25 27

Secretary General Jacob Schouenborg, International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA)

Tel: + 45 28 58 84 44

Chief Press Officer Astrid Haug, Ministry of Culture

Tel: + 45 25 47 21 07