On 23 September, TAFISA Head of Operations Gaëtan Garcia joined the conference on Healthy Lifestyles, Equality and Inclusion held in the precincts of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. Organised by MEP Nina Carberry, the event gathered a diverse panel to discuss barriers to participation and solutions to make sport and physical activity available and accessible to a greater number.
In her introductory speech, MEP Carberry celebrated the start of the European Week of Sport, highlighting that on its 10-year anniversary, the EWoS has moved over 103 million participants since its inception. She then went on to provide a broad overview of the day's topic, underlining that barriers can be complex, from socioeconomic factors to access to facilities, gender disparity, or health-related issues, among many others.
The various panellists shared their personal journeys through sport and physical activity, providing insights as to what motivated them to be active, but also how easy it might be to drop out from sport participation. Irish comedian Jarlath Regan shared his inspiring story of going back to physical activity after he had to donate a kidney to his brother, and how he went on to complete three marathons afterwards.
Phelim Macken from Limerick Sports Partnership detailed how communities in Limerick are successfully engaged and served with physical activity and sports programs through various initiatives. He pointed out how this results in many benefits beyond the health of participants, taking as an example the reduction of antisocial behaviour in public parks where infrastructure and equipment for recreational sports were installed. Host of the TAFISA European Sport for All Games in 2026, Limerick will be holding the non-competitive sport event as a great festival celebrating the diversity of cultures and communities and enabling the greater number to enjoy playing and being active.
Cameron Keighron from the International Diabetes Federation stressed the lack of safe and inclusive spaces adapted to the needs of people with diabetes, and how this makes it challenging for them to be active; an issue all the more important as physical activity can be a great tool to help prevent some of the comorbidities and health issues related with diabetes. The International Diabetes Federation has launched several initiatives to remedy the issue, including mentorship and empowerment programs to ensure that young people with diabetes can better and more safely navigate how to be active.
Irish Senator Evanne Ni Chuilinn pointed out that society tends to care more about mathematics or language skills at school and not so much about how children perform in physical education, and by extension physical literacy. Girls and women, she continued, face many barriers as sport and physical activity practice tends to be organised and geared towards men's needs, which can be vastly different, hence the importance of having more female coaches and leaders, and making sure that their voices are heard to better answer their specific needs.
Last, EU Head of Sport Unit Giorgio Guazzugli Marini shared on how the European Commission believes and invests in the transformative power of sport and its fundamental role in tackling the epidemic of physical inactivity and its associated NCDs. Through the Sport Unit providing a platform for policy exchange to the Erasmus+ program providing support and funding for sport in Europe, the European Commission has been pivotal for the development of initiatives and policies to promote sport and physical activity over the years.
The session concluded by a round of questions and answers with the audience. TAFISA would like to congratulate MEP Nina Carberry for organizing the event as well as the panellists for their insightful contributions.
