Student sports in the European Union

OLL's sports policy policy paper (avalaiable here, only in Finnish and Swedish) emphasises the roles of health and recreational sports as the most important part of higher education sports services. According to the policy paper, the EU should continue to support cooperation projects between higher education sports activities as well as their network activities.

OLL is a member of the European University Sport Association (EUSA), which also has a student committee member proposed by OLL. OLL is a member of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), which is based in Switzerland and also has a Finnish representative on its student committee. In addition, OLL is part of the European Network of Academic Sport Services (ENAS) and has participated in European Week of Sport (EWoS) as an Erasmus+ partner, most recently in 2023.

Sports Policy in the European Union

The European Union promotes equal opportunities for EU citizens to participate in sports activities and supports sports organizations. The EU offers opportunities for collaboration among sports stakeholders across borders. This enables, for example, networking of university sports services with their sister organizations and the development of their own activities.

The EU has so-called supporting powers, meaning it can support, coordinate, and complement member states' actions in the field of sports and physical activity. In 2007, the European Commission adopted a White Paper on Sport, which was the EU's first political initiative on sports. The White Paper addresses several goals, including emphasizing the societal role of sports, promoting public health through physical activity, supporting volunteerism, expanding the economic dimension of sports and the free movement of players, combating doping, bribery, and money laundering, and monitoring media rights.

Both the central role of sports in maintaining physical and mental health and the significant health problems caused by lack of physical activity have been identified in the European Union, for example, in the Council of the European Union's conclusions on lifelong learning through sports in 2021. The conclusions emphasize the importance of regular and sufficient physical activity for the physical, mental, and social development of young people. The cost of physical inactivity in Europe was estimated at €80 billion per year in 2015.

A work plan for the EU's sports sector has been developed, which is one of the key documents in sports policy. The 2021–2024 work plan has three main areas – protecting the integrity and values of sports, promoting the socio-economic and environmental aspects of sports, and promoting sports and physically active lifestyles that enhance health – with particular emphasis on the latter to reduce physical inactivity during the coming electoral term. The new work plan is expected to be approved during Belgium's presidency in the first half of 2024. The presidency's agenda also includes discussions on the role of unorganized sports and free sports in the European sports model.

Under the Parliament, there is a Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), whose tasks include developing EU sports policy alongside cultural, youth, and education policies. The committee is also responsible for the Erasmus+ program.

EU Funding for Sports

The European Union supports sports projects through various funding channels. Sports are an essential part of the Erasmus+ program, the EU's action program in education, youth, and sports. In the current program for 2021–2027, 1.9 percent of the total budget is allocated to sports. The most familiar EU funding for sports organizations and universities for promoting sports and physical activity are the Erasmus+ Sport program or the Erasmus+ Youth sector program. Rural program LEADER+ funding, European Social Fund ESR+ funding, and European Regional Development Fund ERDF funding may also be familiar to universities and student organizations.

International EU funding can be obtained if the project idea aligns with one of the EU's priority areas in the field of sports. Eu Policy Papers documents play a central role in Erasmus+ Sport funding and other international EU project funding requiring international cooperation.