Mainstreaming Youth Participation across the Sport Movement
The event initiated with an opening lecture by Dr. Thierry Zintz on the “Present-Future of Sport Diplomacy”, followed by two pannels on “polictics, governance and sport diplomacy” and on “youth participation in sport governance: from principles to practice”.
During the second panel, shared with Matilda Tommasi (President of Panathlon Junior Triest-Muggia) and Berber Swart (IOC Young Leader), ENGSO Youth Managing Director, Tiago Guilherme underlined that young people are not disengaged from sports but rather sport, and particularly sport governance is disengaged from young people. Making the case with data from the recent EUYOUSPORT survey, Tiago showcased the gap between youth participation in sport and youth representation in sport governance, concluding with two essential takeaways for meaningful youth participation:
- Decision-making in sport needs to be co-designed with young people across the whole policy/decision-making cycle;
- Youth participation should be formally included within sport structures statutes, making space for the formal recognition and representation of youth voices in decision making.
The second day of the event discussed good governance, integrity in sport, and the role of European Institutions like the Council of Europe and the European Union in further developing these topics within the sport movement.
ENGSO Youth would like to thank Panathlon International for the invitation and its interest in further developing youth participation within the organisation. We look forward to continue the cooperation initiated to foster youth participation in sport governance.
