ISF part of high level meeting EU-China dialogue

SHANGHAI, China (November 14,15th 2017) – The China-EU High Level People-to-People Dialogue (HPPD) aimed to bring together EU and Chinese representatives of the sport movement and national administrations to exchange good practices and identify possible areas of cooperation.

The ISF President - Mr Laurent Petrynka has been appointed by Mr Tibor Navracsics - European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport to be part of a delagation to bring its expertise in the field of Education, Sport and Physical Education with the following experts Mr Tarvi Pürn, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Culture of Estonia, Mr Pal Schmitt, Former chairman of the High Level Group on Sport Diplomacy, Member of  the IOC, Mr Patrick Roult, Director responsible for High Level Athletes, INSEP ( l’Institut national du sport, de l’expertise et de la performance in France), Mr Alexandre Husting, Expert in EU sport policy; government of Luxembourg, Mr Sergio Lara-Bercial, Leeds Beckett University, International Council for Coaching  Excellence and Mr Thierry Zintz, Catholic University of Louvain, European Observatoire of Sport.

The main objective of this seminar is to exchange good practices and to identify areas of potential cooperation between the EU and China in the field of sport as well as to initiate and strengthen contacts between the sport movements.

Mr Petrynka had the opportunity to present how the ISF is structured in EU, its ongoing projects and potential field of cooperation with China. Indeed regarding the structure of the school sport in EU (27 members), Mr Petrynka highlighted the recent Mapping of School Sport that has been done in EU, while presenting different fields of cooperation regarding young volunteers exchanges and training for youth and PE teachers during the next Gymnasiade - School Summer Games 2020 in Jinjiang China. As gender equality and girls empowerment/leadership is a crucial topic of the ISF policy worlwide, this meeting has been also the occasion for the ISF President to foreseen synergies on this matter with the Chinese Education and Sport authorities.

"This meeting has been an important opportunity to discuss in depth school sport impact on education and sport frameworks with representatives and stakeholders which influence sport development in EU, in Europe and beyond around the world. China is a long term partner of ISF and we work closely together to make important steps by 2020. I would like to thank the Commissioner Navracsics for seriously considering the role of school sport for such important meeting"  said said Mr Petrynka.