Poland is hosting the biggest sports event of the year, the European Games. Their organization is a great challenge on every level. The boycott of Russia and Belarus as a result of the aggression against Ukraine drew the attention of the entire sports world to the non-sporting importance of organizing major sporting events. Taking them from Russia was a great success for Poland on the international arena. That is why the next thematic block will be devoted to all aspects of organizing such events.
Thematic blocks
BLOCK I
BLOCK AND SPORT FACING THE CHALLENGES OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
In the modern world, different realities, often seemingly incompatible with each other, come together. Such is the case with the world of sports and politics. On the one hand, the idea of Olympic sports competition revived in the late 19th century by Baron Pierre de Coubertin should be apolitical by definition. On the other hand, world leaders have been using sports to advance their goals for many decades. Today, this problem is particularly pronounced in the face of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. How to take care of the spirit of sports? How to respond to geopolitical events related to it? These are the questions to be answered today.
Planned panel issues:
- The Paris Olympics in the shadow of the war in Ukraine – should athletes from aggressor countries participate in the largest global sporting event?
- Hosting major sporting events as a tool for sportswashing in the modern world.Should major sports events be organized by states that violate human rights?
- Sports diplomacy – sports as a sphere for conducting international diplomacy and using it to promote the image of the country.
- The concept of sportsman neutral – a noble idea or harmful naiveté?In the face of the brutal war in Ukraine, can any athletes from Russia and Belarus be considered neutral?
- Sports sanctions against Russia – have the measures used to prevent athletes from Russia and Belarus from competing internationally in the face of the war in Ukraine been effective? The role of the international coalition of states in the process of shaping policy towards athletes from Russia and Belarus.
- The international fight against doping – do the authorities in Russia continue to systemically support the use of doping by its athletes?
- Athletes-dopers in international sports arenas. How can athletes who have defied undemocratic authorities be allowed to represent their country?
- EU sports policy – assessment and possible directions for further action.
- “Marathon of solidarity”.
- Qualifications in sports – on the road to sports success.
BLOCK II
THREATS IN SPORT
We have very positive associations with sport, it is its great strength and power, thanks to which it attracts everyone – players, coaches, activists, fans, media and sponsors. It is all the more important to diagnose potential threats quickly, efficiently and effectively, and then to minimize or eliminate them properly. That is why the first thematic block will be devoted to threats in sport, in particular in terms of protection and safety of children and youth.
Planned panel issues:
- How to define and prevent risks in sports clubs and associations?
- Protecting young people from threats in sports
- Preventing and combating new forms of corruption
- The rich will become even richer – about Super League projects
- Law and sports
- Security of mass sports events
- How to prolong the life of our children? Tools to increase physical activity among the youngest
BLOCK III
POLAND AS AN ORGANIZER OF GREAT SPORTS EVENTS
Planned panel topics:
- About the practicalities of organizing events
- How can the world of sports, politics and business cooperate in the organization of sports events?
- Organizing a major international sports event as an opportunity to promote the city/region in the context of the European Games in Krakow and the Olympic Games in Paris – opportunities, challenges, expected results.
BLOCK IV
COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPORT - LIGHT AND DARK SIDES
Paraphrasing Napoleon, it’s safe to say that you only need three things to be successful in modern sports – money, money and more money. The importance of money in modern sport is of key importance today, both due to the development of sport in its traditional form, as well as taking into account the growing importance of sport as an increasingly stronger branch of the economy. But money is also a threat that the commercialization of sport will deprive it of its importance as a carrier of ethical values. Therefore, the congress could not miss a thematic block devoted to this issue.
Planned panel topics:
- Investing in sports – profits for business
- Where is the healthy frontier of sports commercialization?
- Effective tools for financing sports activities
- How has the transfer market in soccer changed in recent years?
- Opportunities and threats to the financial development of Esport
- Image management in sports
- What are the titles and medals of a sports champion obligated to? The social role of the athlete after the end of his career.
- Development and image perspectives of motorsports in Poland
- Woman in sports. Challenges and barriers to the development of women’s sports
- Multidimensional presence of the disabled in professional sports
BLOCK V
SPORT AND TECHNOLOGY - MEDICINE AND INNOVATION IN SPORT
The world around us is going through the fourth industrial revolution, and new technologies are entering new areas of our lives every day. These changes could not bypass sport either. New technologies and innovations are revolutionizing sport in every aspect – they affect the way of training, training processes, refereeing and the way sport is shown in the media. One of the most important areas of this revolution are changes in sports medicine – thanks to them, players’ careers last longer, they cope with injuries more easily and achieve much better results. Due to the importance of this issue, the next thematic block will be devoted to it.
Planned panel topics:
- Sports in the face of the digital revolution – how AI and other technological advances can affect sports competition
- Esport as a new branch of development of football clubs
- Sports medicine yesterday and today – about the development of technology over the years
- The development of technology and the sports spectacle
- The role of technology in injury prevention and treatment
- Technological revolution – opportunities and challenges facing the sportstech industry
BLOCK VI
COMMON SPORT, SOCIAL ROLE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Sport is not only physical activity. Sport is primarily an educator. An educator of individuals, showing everyone who practices it how to work on themselves, but also an educator of society, teaching us how to cooperate with each other, how to rejoice together after victories and deal with defeats. All this is of the greatest importance in the case of children and youth, hence the need for strong cooperation between the world of sport and government and local government institutions. The last thematic block in the sports component of the congress will be devoted to how to build joint activities in the area of sport.
Planned panel topics:
- What government initiatives and programs can positively influence the sports development of youth?
- Popularization of sports in smaller towns and cities
- What changes does Polish sports need today in order to identify and polish sports talent?
- The Athletics for Everyone program! or how regular physical activity and nutrition education affect the fitness and nutritional choices of children and adolescents
- Physical culture and activation of seniors
BLOCK VII
GREEN ENERGY FOR TOURISM. WORLD TOURISM DAY CELEBRATIONS
The issue of green energy for tourism is gaining increasing prominence in public debate not only in Poland, but around the world. Its prominence and popularity is evidenced by the fact that it has become the theme of World Tourism Day, which is celebrated every year on September 27. The global and, step by step, national celebration of this holiday is an ideal opportunity to look at the latest trends in tourism and to point out how important the space around it is.
The second key area for the development of the tourism industry is the issue of developing innovation in the service of tourism. Both topics intermingle and complement each other, creating space for new activities. It is impossible to talk about the elements of green investment without situating them in the dynamic environment of domestic tourism. Despite the continuous development of the area of tourism in Poland, it is noted that “ecology” and “tourism” do not always go hand in hand. By increasing knowledge of innovative solutions, representatives of the tourism sector in Poland will be able to imply pro-environmental measures and increase the scale of green investments in the tourism industry. Due to the need for discussion, it is to this issue that the thematic block was dedicated.
Planned panel topics:
- International exchange of experience in tourism support solutions.
- 3rd Polish-Bulgarian Tourism Expert Meeting.
Innovation – or the most important source of competitive advantage in tourism? - Culinary tourism – Effective promotion of the region through gastronomy – How to attract foodies?
- Sustainable tourism in the Carpathians – towards a global marketplace
- Communication accessibility and innovative solutions as a key factor in tourism development based on examples from subregions