More than 220 participants from over 40 countries have gathered in Porto, Portugal from 8-10 October 2024 for the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers Responsible for Sport. The Ministers' focus will be on collaborative governing and good governance in sport. Organised by the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) in co-operation with the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth (IPDJ), this year's edition will also highlight leadership through gender equality in sport, how to manage dual careers, and the importance of a youth perspective in sport policies.
The conference will be opened by Pedro Duarte, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs responsible for Sport of Portugal, Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Linda Hofstad Helleland, Chairperson of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
"It is an honour for Portugal and for this Government to welcome the 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sports. We are committed to creating strategies through Sport that allow us to have more active, more inclusive and more respectful societies. This event will allow the development of strategies for a more transparent, ethical and effective sports governance. Together we can build a better society," said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Duarte.
"All of us here share a belief in the benefit that sports bring to us, to our wellbeing, and to our communities. They also bring closer bonds and a unity that comes through teamwork and a shared passion. And sports and sports governance are of course part of our wider democracy," said Deputy Secretary General Berge.
Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Champion in Fencing, will address the keynote session on the European Sports Charter via video message. Other speakers include Raymon Blondel, President of the European Paralympic Committee, Benny Bonsu, Director of Daily Content at Olympic Channel Services, Morten Schmidt, Director of Programmes at the Laureus Sport4Good Foundation, and Gévrise Emane, Olympic Champion in Judo and Lifestyle Athletes Manager at the French National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP). Witold Bańka, President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will also address the Ministers and Heads of delegations.
Annamarie Phelps, Chair of the UK Secretariat and Co-Chair of the Global Executive at the International Working Group on Women & Sport (IWG) will speak about gender equality in sport, together with former professional American basketball player Ticha Penicheiro. Speakers at the dual career session include Vitor Pardal, National Coordinator of the Portuguese High-Performance Sports Units in School, and Gévrise Emane, Lifestyle Athletes Manager, French National Institute for Sport, Expertise and Performance (INSEP).
On 8 October, the Deputy Secretary General, the Secretary of State for Sport of Portugal Pedro Dias and André Villas Boas, President of FC Porto, jointly opened an event to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention). The event underlined the key role played by the Council of Europe in promoting integrity and countering fraud in sport.
