Innovation, health and sustainability in sport: insights from the SHARE 2.0 annual conference

Georg Häusler, Director for Creativity, Culture and Sport at DG EAC opened the conference by providing the political context of EU sport policy.

He highlighted how health, competitiveness, innovation and sustainability remain core policy areas in which sport can have a wide impact and how sport can contribute to boosting these sectors.

He also stressed the importance of reinforcing a values-based European sport model. In this regard, the European Commission has launched a public consultation and call for evidence, as part of the preparation of a communication on a strategic vision for sport in Europe. 

You can contribute to the public consultation until 8 December 2025.

Green sport manifesto unveiled

The green sport manifesto was unveiled at the conference.

Mike McClure from the European Network of Outdoor Sports and Peter Fischer (DG EAC, Sport Unit) highlighted the importance of this key output of the green sport community of practice.

Organisations interested in signing up to the manifesto are invited to join a webinar on 8 October 2025.

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Members of the SHARE 2.0 green sport steering group presenting the green sport manifesto. From left to right: Peter Fischer (DG EAC; sport unit); Tomáš Fíbek (Czech National Sport Agency); Eva Rebmann (EU office of European Olympic Committees); Jérôme Pero (Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry); Mike McClure (European Network of Outdoor Sports - ENOS).

Masterclass on AI for grassroots sport

The conference also featured a masterclass on artificial intelligence (AI) for grassroots sport, which allowed physical and online participants to better understand the opportunities and challenges AI-based technologies offer to sport clubs. 

Stefano Pintus (DG EAC, Sport Unit) presented the key findings from the SHARE 2.0 paper on artificial intelligence in sport and moderated the session. 

Giulia Carsaniga (DG CNECT, AI Office) provided an overview of the vision and actions of the European Commission in the field of AI. 

Professor Steven Verstockt highlighted the potential of AI to streamline tasks and administration in sport clubs, increasing efficiency and outreach. 

Professor Vanessa Camilleri offered an overview of the SWIM 360 project, a new AI system that helps swimmers achieve better results and reduce injuries.

Professor Pedro Sequeira showcased “Alex”, a new chat bot that develops reliable training programmes for handball coaches across Europe.

Watch the masterclass recording

Future priority areas

Members of the three communities of practice on health, innovation, and green sport identified around 20 potential topics to focus on in the year ahead. Below are some examples.

Community of practice on health

• Make use of technology advancements (namely artificial intelligence) to support policies and actions around health-enhancing physical activity and intergenerational sport
• Promote physical literacy in schools as a way to raise awareness on the benefits of an active lifestyle and create a culture of physical activity for the youth
• Promote sport in the workplace as a driver for active lifestyles for adults

Community of practice on innovation

• Create a strategy for artificial intelligence in sport
• Promote gender equality in the field of sport
• Promote the entrepreneurship dimension in the field of sport

Community of practice on green sport

• Mainstream green sport in other policy areas (strong communication on the advantages of being sustainable)
• Keep supporting the uptake of the green sport manifesto
• Work on guidance for ethical sponsorship
• Develop a resources hub where (especially) grassroots sports organisations can obtain guidance and scale up their knowledge

The ideas generated during the conference will feed into the work of SHARE 2.0 in the coming year. 

The next SHARE 2.0 conference is foreseen for September 2026.