The 10th anniversary of the European Week of Sport (EWOS) was launched in style on 23–24 September 2025 in Copenhagen, gathering leaders, athletes, NGOs, and grassroots organizations under the banner of #BeActive.
A symbolic opening
The celebrations began at GAME Streetmekka Copenhagen, a venue renowned for its focus on youth and urban sports. Denmark’s King Frederik X, European Commissioner Glenn Micallef, and Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt jointly opened the Week. They were joined by hundreds of participants, marking ten years of EWOS with sport workshops including a “10 shots” basketball challenge and a vibrant energizer led by GAME volunteers.
Commissioner Micallef underlined the journey of EWOS from its launch in 2015 to today’s reach of over 100 million people in 42 countries, urging Europeans to “scroll less and move more.” The opening also welcomed new EWOS partners, including the European Fair Play Movement, highlighting the growing relevance of ethics and integrity — themes at the core of Panathlon International.
From movement to wellbeing
The following day the European Week of Sport’s 10th-anniversary celebrations continued with a high-level conference at the Royal Danish Playhouse. The focus: how sport and physical activity can address some of Europe’s most pressing societal challenges.
Following words of welcome by Denmark’s Minister for Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt and Georg Haeusler, Director for Culture, Creativity and Sport at the European Commission, the conference explored the theme of physical literacy as a social innovation tool. Speakers stressed the importance of equipping citizens — especially youth — with lifelong movement skills, to combat sedentary behavior and support healthier lifestyles.
Tom Englén (Change the Game) framed physical literacy as a lifelong skill for active citizenship, while the Danish Gymnastics sports organization experts presented practical approaches in schools and communities. Professor Stuart Biddle addressed the risks of sedentary lifestyles and screen use, stressing the urgency of systemic action. Digital innovation was showcased by Jakub Kalinowski (V4Sport) through the Active Sister Schools initiative.
The afternoon panel spotlighted projects tackling mental wellbeing through sport:
Mind Body Boost (Trinity College Dublin), Icehearts Europe and The Starting Bloc (Danish NOC & Sports Confederation), each demonstrated sport’s transformative role for respectively vulnerable groups, social inclusion and resilience.
Panathlon’s perspective
For Panathlon International, the anniversary and conference reaffirmed the growing need to link ethics, safeguarding, health and wellbeing within EU policies. The alignment with EWOS 2025 themes — inclusion, digital health, and mental resilience — provides an opportunity to reinforce Panathlon’s advocacy for fair play, integrity, and safe sport environments.
As Europe marks ten years of #BeActive, the message from Copenhagen was clear: sport is more than physical activity — it is a civic responsibility, a driver of solidarity and a pathway to healthier, more inclusive societies.
Sander Renson,
Secretary of the Panathlon Club of Vlaanderen (B)
