About the project

About the project EU Sport Values Diplomacy

Political background of the project entitled EU Sport Values Diplomacy recalled EU sport policies outlined by the EU Work Plan for sport 2021 - 2024, White Paper for Sport and Communication on Developing the European Dimension in Sport. It focused on the Erasmus+ priorities in the field of sport.

The project highlighted a topic of social inclusion through sport values. Its strategic aim was to promote a recent work of the EU in sport sector. The main objective was to create an effective tool for raising awareness and dissemination of information in three interconnected areas: sport values, social inclusion and sport diplomacy.

Proposed consortium aimed to be a follow up of EU sport agenda of Bulgaria, Malta and Slovakia, which was developed during their presidencies of the Council of the EU. It stemmed from the Council conclusions on promoting the common values of the EU through sport approved by the Bulgarian Presidency, Council conclusions on sport as a platform for social inclusion worked out by the Maltese Presidency and Council conclusions on sport diplomacy developed by the Slovak Presidency. The project ambition was to develop these documents in a practical way and make them easy recognised for general public. The practical dimension was notably linked to the European Week of Sport.

The project enabled building capacity of organisations to engage in international cooperation and networking as required by the small-scale partnerships of the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 programme.

Proportional distribution of roles provided active involvement of entities on both management and operational levels. Project Manager, Dissemination Manager, ICT Manager, Sustainability Manager and Evaluation Manager created a Management Board and assured a high quality of a project and timeline monitoring. Proposed HR provided a wide range of knowledge and competences, covering interdisciplinary topics on transnational, European, nationwide, regional and local levels.
The project was digital, green, and innovative in the sport sector. It placed a strong focus on the green and digital transitions and contributed to priorities of the Erasmus+ 2021-2027 programme and the current call as well.  

The platform entitled SPORT VALUES CHANNEL as a project outcome demonstrated one of many project digital aspects. Project goals were divided into tangible and intangible ones. They contributed to reach the project main objective and strategic aim.

Project tangible goals were sequences of the SPORT VALUES CHANNEL as a project outcome. Project short-term effects unfolded in its structure, in particular in the following sequences: FACES, STORIES, CHALLENGE, TEST YOURSELF, FACTS, YOUR VOICE.

Project intangible goals consisted of two sets. The first set of intangible goals were linked to general objectives of the call, notably:

• Attract and widen access for newcomers, less experienced organisations and small-scale actors to the programme. These partnerships act as a first step for organisations into cooperation at European level.
• Support the inclusion of target groups with fewer opportunities.
• Support active European citizenship and bring the European dimension to the local level.

The second set of intangible goals were linked to additional general objectives of the call, notably:

• Increasing quality in the work and practices of the organisations and institutions involved, opening up to new actors not naturally included within one sector.
• Building capacity of organisations to work transnationally and across sectors.
• Addressing common needs and priorities in the fields of education, training, youth and sport.
• Enabling transformation and change at individual, organisational and sectoral level, leading to improvements, in proportion to the context of each organisation.

Sustainability and green dimension were part of each project activity. Novelties were project core elements, including an innovative platform aiming at worldwide audience.
Sustainability guaranteed a pledge of stakeholders to keep project outcomes financed after its initial funding from the Erasmus+ programme.

Call for proposals 2021 – EAC/A01/2021 Erasmus+ Programme (2021/C 103/11)

Project coordinator

Sport Club VEGA from Slovakia works in Senec municipality, in a village of Bernolákovo. The club was founded in 2000 and nowadays associates mainly children and young adults. The coaches of the club achieved the highest qualifications in sport education. Sport Club VEGA is known for its multisport traditions. Many of the famous athletes of Slovakia are connected to this club.

The flagship initiative of the club was an international project Olympism. In Slovakia, children start to practise sport often at the age of seven to eight. By the experience of PE teachers and coaches, after that age the integration to sport clubs could be challenging when other players/athletes are already on a higher level. The cooperation of the Sport Club VEGA with the Bernolákovo Primary School on the first and the second grade in the framework of the project Olympism in 2000 focused on not only sport-oriented children, but also on a support of physically inactive children to start with sport through social inclusion.

Apart from Sport Club VEGA members, the project Olympism had a wide impact on all the teachers and pupils of the school as well as parents and school supporters. Children from minorities and with health handicaps were also fully involved in all the project activities and had a chance to meet new people and make new friends.

The project gave a unique opportunity to create a sport friendly environment within the school and was a basis for numerous other activities focused on development of physical activities of the young generation. It also gave a possibility to all participants to become more conscious of sport values and Coubertin' ideas in its whole complexity.

Thanks to the project, the children were confronted with the sport in all the subjects and lessons of their school curricula. For instance, they used physical education topics during the lessons of mathematics, biology, physics, history, geography, Slovak language as well as English lessons.

This approach was appreciated also by the Slovak school inspection that belongs under the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic. In general, project Olympism created by the Sport Club VEGA was a kind of milestone in a development of physical education and sport activities in the framework of the whole community. It continued for instance with innovations and reconstruction of the outdoor premises of the school as well as increased mobility of teachers and students in a context of further international programmes.

In addition, the  Sport Club VEGA closely cooperates with School of Pierre de Coubertin, one of the largest comprehensive high school in Slovakia with about 830 students. Pierre de Coubertin School in Piešťany is proud to bear the name of the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Pierre de Coubertin, whose message of the spiritual and physical power strives to incorporate into teaching and feels honoured to have been entrusted with organizing the 10th international Pierre de Coubertin Youth Forum in August 2015.
The cooperation of Sport Club VEGA with this school is based not only on numerous sport projects, but also on enriching programs and events intended to build up student community.  It gives a room to the many talents of students, including annual ski trips for freshmen, environmentally focused trip for the juniors as well as educational trips abroad, cultural trips to museum and galleries. It offers theatrical performances, fun class trips, an initiation ceremony for freshmen – an evening of fun and games organized by juniors, prom nights for the seniors where they are the ones preparing the cultural program to show off their talents and entertain their parents and teachers, holiday assemblies where student entertain students and many others.

In light of the above mentioned it is evident that social inclusion through sport as well as education in and through sport phenomenon exists widely in the Sport Club VEGA activities and might be wrapped up by long-term close cooperation with the Slovak Pierre de Coubertin Committee whose seat is also in Bernolákovo.