Sport and Citizenship is a European think tank dedicated to the analysis of sports politics and to the study of sport’s social impact in Europe.
Since its creation six years ago, Sport and Citizenship participate to the construction of a civic European dialogue on sports.
This dialogue is the outcome of cross reflections of different stakeholders: public authorities, sports movements, civil society, academics, the economic sector and the associations involved in the study of sport as a major social fact of the European society.
The think tank is born in Brussels, within the European institutions, few weeks after the adoption of the White paper on Sport (2007).
– Build and promote a common culture and expertise on sport as constructive element of the European citizenship.
– Develop at European level a spirit of consultation and a true civil dialogue on sport as major social fact.
– Promote the exchange of points of view, relay civil society and citizens’ expectations and facilitate the presentation of results to decision-makers, through operational reccomandations.
– Participate to the elaboration of European politics in the areas of sports, health, education and citizenship, in accordance with the principles of good governance and participatory democracy promoted by the EU.
– Encourage the integration of sport in the initiatives that will be developed in the future “Erasmus +” programme.
– Advocate for the recognition of the specificity of sport at European level based on its societal impact and its social, educational and civic aspects.
– Propose an harmonisation of member states’ legislations around common objectives and according to the most favoured nation clause.
– Reaffirm at EU level the right of every citizen to have access to sport and fight against every form of discrimination, in accordance with art 21 of the EU Fundamental Rights Charter.
– Hosting of a multidisciplinary Scientific Committee, composed by more than 100 experts coming from 15 EU member states.
– Coordination of 5 european thematic networks: gender diversity in Sport ; Sport and Handicaps ; Education through Sport ; Sport and volunteering ; Sport and health.
– Publication of a quarterly magazine and other books related to Europe and sport.
– Organisation of conferences, round tables, workshops related to sport and Europe.
– Management of a Website, blog, social medias…
– Redaction of briefing notes, Position Papers, etc.
– Participation to transnational projects.
-An institutional recognition : Sport and Citizenship is considered as a relevant interlocutor by EU institutions. We are represented in different working groups of the European Commission and the Council of Europe.
-An independece : Sport and Citizenship doesn’t defent any private interest. Its mission is at the service of the general interest.
-Its European standing : more than 15 nationalities are represented in the Scietific Committee of Sport and Citizenship, which makes the work of comparison and benchmarking more efficient.
Sport and Citizenship receive private and public funding:
– Local, regional and national public funding.
– Private funding : Fondation Hippocrène, Fondation du Sport Français – Henri Sérandour, UEFA, FDJ, Association européenne des loteries, Nike, Nestlé Waters.
