On Wednesday September 25th, MEP Ruza Tomasic welcomed key European sport stakeholders in the European Parliament for an exchange of ideas and experiences on sport integrity in the EU. After a short introduction of the speakers and the topic, the floor was given to Mr Yves Le Lostecque, Head of the Sport Unit at the European Commission, who outlined the Commission’s activities and plans on promoting and strengthening sport integrity.
After reminding everyone of the role of the commission in raising awareness and coordinating activities, he went into more detail on one of the main tools the Commission uses to reach their goals: the Erasmus+ programme. As the funding for this programme and the sport chapter in it will likely increase significantly, Mr Le Lostecque called on the sport stakeholders up their game and apply for funding with quality project applications.
Subsequently, MEPs Sean Kelly and Ondrej Kovarik acknowledged the importance of sport integrity and the good work the European Commission is doing on this topic. However, they also expressed concerns about the importance given to sport in the new Commission and Mr Kelly indicated that he will be questioning the Commissioner-designate Maryia Gabriel on this during the Committee hearing in the European Parliament next week. Mr Kelly and Mr Kovarik will also work to build support for a continuation of the sport intergroup to facilitate the cooperation between the Commission and Parliament in the field of sport.
EuropeActive is one of the leading organisations in the promotion of integrity, having signed the pledge on good governance issued by the European Commission and organising the annual ‘Forum for anti-doping in recreational sport’ in the framework of the FAIR project.