What does the EU do for Sport?

On Monday (12 August), Irish athletes returned home from Paris after what was Ireland’s most successful Olympics ever and were welcomed by cheering crowds outside Dublin’s GPO. Across the two-week games, the 133-person strong squad earned 4 gold and 3 bronze medals, finishing 19^th in the overall Medals Table.

Originating in Ancient Greece, the Olympics are the leading sport event in the world with more than 200 teams, representing sovereign states and territories, competing. Since the inception of the modern Olympic games in 1896, Europe has played host to this global event more than any other region. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris mark the third time the summer games have been held in the city, and  the seventeenth time  the summer games have taken place in Europe.

But what can the EU do for sport? What policies does the EU have in place to promote sporting activities, and what funding is available for innovative sporting initiatives?

To mark the end of the 2024 Olympic Games, this Just the Facts looks at the EU and the world of sport.

Beyond hosting large-scale sporting events such as the Olympics, or the recent UEFA Euro 2024, the EU recognises sport as an “integral part of the lives of millions of Europeans”. From local clubs to national bodies, sporting initiatives can support community cohesion, and contribute to social inclusion. The EU supports the role that sport can play in facilitating goals in other policy areas such as education, gender equality, rural development, and employment.

Prior to 2009, the EU had no official competency in the area. However, with the enforcement of the Lisbon Treaty, the EU acquired a specific competence (Article 165 TFEU) to support or supplement the actions of Member States. This means that the EU can only have a “soft” power in sport policy. For example, the EU can develop guidelines and recommendations, as opposed to developing laws explicitly addressing the sports sector. While sports-related policy remains primarily a national competence, Union policies relating to sport are designed to support fair and open competition, protect the integrity of athletes, and recognise the role of voluntary and grassroots contribution in the sporting world.

For example, while not an official competency, the EU can support anti-doping measures by creating working groups, coordinating engagement on the topic amongst Member States, EU institutions and the World Anti-Doping Agency, and integrating anti-doping initiatives into EU funded programmes such as Erasmus+ Sport.

Therefore, the EU can work to develop a European dimension within sports policy areas, without having full competency.

So, what does this actually mean?

Developing the Sporting CULT-ure

Firstly, like any policy area, sport is discussed and debated within the European Parliament. Policies pertaining to sport are negotiated by the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT). The CULT Committee consists of 30 MEPs as full members and is responsible for a range of sectors, including culture, education, media, youth and sports policy.

The constitutive meeting of the new CULT Committee took place on 23 July, with German MEP Nela Riehl (Greens/EFA) elected as Chair for a two-and-a-half-year term. Currently, Ireland has no MEP serving as a full or substitute member of the CULT committee. However, the full list of serving MEPs and their contact details can be found here.

During the last European Parliament mandate (2019-2024), the CULT Committee’s work regarding sport included an own-initiative report titled, ‘EU Sports Policy and Possible Ways Forward’ which proposed a number of key recommendations, including:

• The creation of an ‘EU Sports Coordinator’, with the role of strengthening cross-sectoral cooperation.
• Establishing regular, structured cooperation led by the European Commission to increase output and recommendations in the field of EU sport policy.

The committee also produced a report on ‘Esports and Video Games’ to contribute to the debate on the differences between sports and esports.

EU Work Plan for Sport 2024-2027

Another important tool for the EU regarding sports policy is the EU Work Plan for Sport.  The fifth EU Work Plan for Sport was approved on 14 May 2024 by EU sports ministers and is a document which sets out EU objectives for sport. This work plan will run from July 2024 until December 2027 and aims to address three key themes:

• ‘Integrity and values in sport’.
• ‘Socio-economic and sustainable dimensions of sport’.
• ‘Participation in sport and health-enhancing physical activity’.

In addition, the work plan seeks to improve accessibility to sport for all vulnerable groups, support voluntary-based grassroots sports, and encourage investment in sporting facilities.

Taking the Initiative

As part of the work plan, the EU will also continue to fund a number of sporting initiatives.

EU Sport Forum

The EU Sport Forum is an annual event and serves as the main platform for discussion between the European Commission and sports stakeholders. The 2024 EU Sport Forum took place in April in Liège, Belgium. The purpose of the forum is to take stock of the EU sports agenda, and to hear from sports organisations and representatives about next steps and future activities. Participants, consisted of EU officials, as well as sports ambassadors, public policymakers, and private sector representatives who contributed to high-level panels on topics such as anti-doping, discrimination, and mobility.

#BeInclusiveSportAwards

This annual awards ceremony celebrates organisations whose work involves using sport to improve social inclusion. The ceremony awards innovative solutions to a range of social challenges, from migrant and refugee integration to engagement of vulnerable young people. Examples of previous winners include:

• Olympic Urban Festival (Belgium): A project aimed at engaging youth in sport (winner of the Breaking Barries Award 2023).
• Champions Factory (Bulgaria): A project aimed at integrated Ukrainian refugees in Bulgarian communities (winner of the Sport for Peace Award 2023).

SHARE 2.0 Initiative (2023-2025)

SHARE 2.0 is a follow-up to the five-year SHARE Initiative which ran from 2018-2023 and was designed to raise awareness of the importance of sport and physical activity for local and regional development. Building on the results of the project, this next phase will focus on strengthening access to EU funding, and innovation and sustainability practices within sport, particularly at the grassroots level. Organisations can complete an expression of interest to join a SHARE 2.0 thematic community in the area of health, innovation, sustainability or practice for access to resources and potential collaboration opportunities across the project.

Funding in Ireland

While these large-scale funding initiatives are operating transnationally, individual Member States can also benefit from EU funding. For example, Sport Ireland’s Sport 4 Empowerment  programme (2023-2025+) will implement a variety of initiatives across Ireland aimed at enhancing the well-being, education, and economic prospects of participants. The project will also see Sport Officers appointed across all 29 Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in the Sport Ireland Network. The programme is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the EU, with an €11 million grant awarded by the European Social Fund plus (ESF+).

Looking Ahead

Sport plays a key role in bringing communities together and enhancing the physical and mental health, as well as the social lives of countless citizens. The EU will continue to provide funding and highlight the value of sport within Member States.

The European Week of Sport will take place from 23-30 September 2024. This week will be used to celebrate the success of the Olympic Games and promote how major sporting events such as the Olympics can champion EU values. Irish Paralympian Jason Smyth (6-time paralympic gold medal winner) is serving as an Olympic Ambassador during the European Week of Sport.

Events will take place across the EU, highlighting themes of inclusion, well-being and belonging.

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