SafeSPORTevent

In the period 02-03 December 2022, within the framework of the third international scientific congress "Applied Sciences in Sports", Bulgarian sports development association presented the current activities of the organization, including the results of research on the security of sports events, implemented within the SafeSPORTevent initiative. #SafeSPORTevent project comes in very challenging times for Europe and the World when safety and security are crucial and the sport sector is not an exception. #SafeSPORTevent is an Erasmus+ co-funded initiative that aims to protect athletes, officials and fans, participating in sport events, from health and safety hazards by improving training and competition conditions and especially during forcemajor security threads that need to be handled by specific security protocols.

More than 300 children took part in the first indoor competition of the season on the 27th of November 2022. The Darko Team Baby Cup – second edition, kicked off the athletics competition under a roof at the capital's Asics Arena. The competition was meant for children between the ages of 4 and 13 and was open to all – whether they were carded athletes, members of a racing club or wanted to take their first steps into athletics.

On November 26, 2022, in Sofia, Bulgaria, a local sports event under the ONE GOAL project was held, in which more than 30 girls and women – athletes and coaches in different sports – took part. During the event, theoretical and practical sessions were held, in which topics such as practical knowledge and skills, the necessary practice and qualification needed to practice women's football, methods and practices for the promotion of female football coaches, the promotion of physical and technical qualities of female football players, contemporary role models in women's football and effective psychological methods and techniques for working with adolescents, were discussed.

The Bulgarian Sports Development Association-led #SafeSPORTevent project is an official partner of the International Forum for Sports Safety 2022 – the first global step for international sports safety cooperation, which was held on the 24th of November, 2022. The event is organized by the Korea Sports Safety Foundation (KSSF), together with the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee (KSOC) and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The event was broadcasted live on YouTube and recordings are available at the website of the initiative: http://www.issforum.or.kr/.

In the period 15-18 November 2022 in Sofia, Bulgaria was held #SafeSPORTevent final meeting that gathered the partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey to evaluate the project progress and to plan together the future project actions. During the mobility, the consortium took part as well in International conference “Strategic rethinking: new NATO’s strategic concept and the EU’s strategic compass. Perspectives from the Central and Eastern European Member States”, organized by Sofia Security Forum, project partner. During the event, #SafeSPORTevent team had the opportunity to present project outputs, as well as ideas and good practices in the field of safety and security in sport and has been exchanged views on the potential development of the mutual cooperation on the topic in the future.

On November 13, 2022, during the sports holiday "Choose your of sports", held at the “Vasil Levski” National Sports Academy, Bulgarian sports development association held an event under the #SafeSPORTevent project. The security protocols created within the project, the potential risks and threats in the conduct of sporting events, as well as the necessary measures and protocols to optimize the security and safety of spectators, administrative staff, athletes and officials were presented and discussed.

On the 28th of September, 2022, at the Vasil Levski National Sports Academy, Sofia, Bulgarian sports development association held an event under the #SafeSPORTevent project, in which more than 40 sports experts, coaches and sports specialists took part. During the meeting, the following topics were discussed: the security protocols created within the project; the potential risks and threats during sport events; the necessary measures and protocols to optimize the security and safety of spectators, administrative staff, athletes and officials.

On September 24, 2022, within the #BeActive Sports Village of outdoor sports and the #BeActive Night of Sports, which took place in front of the National Palace of Culture, Bulgarian sports development association presented to the citizens of the capital and the sports lovers their current activities and initiatives. In the sports village, over 25 federations and clubs presented their activities through demonstrations and informational materials, and within the Night of Sports, a program was held on stage with demonstrations of sports federations and clubs. The European Week of Sport #BeActive is organized for the eight consecutive year by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Between 23 and 30 September, everyone will have the opportunity to become part of the largest sports festival for amateurs in Europe.

In the period 16-19 June 2022 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina was held #SafeSPORTevent meeting for exchange of good practices that gathered the partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey to finalize the project outputs. During the mobility, the consortium had as well fruitful meetings with local stakeholders from Bosnian Olympic Committee, SWORD security agency and a practical visit to European Wheelchair Basketball Championship. At the meetings has been tested the safety and security protocols and discussed ideas and good practices in the field of safety and security in sport and has been exchanged views on the potential development of the mutual cooperation on the topic in the future.

#SafeSPORTevent project comes in very challenging times for Europe and the World when safety and security are crutual and the sport sector is not an exception. #SafeSPORTevent is an Erasmus+ co-funded initiative that aims to protect athletes, officials and fans, participating in sport events, from health and safety hazards by improving training and competition conditions and especially during forcemajor security threads that need to be handled by specific security protocols.

In the period 11-14 of November 2021 in Sakarya, Turkey was held #SafeSPORTevent midterm meeting that gathered the partners from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey to evaluate the project progress so far and to plan together the future project actions. During the mobility, the consortium had as well fruitful meetings with local stakeholders from Sport Department of Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality, Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sport and Sport Department of Sakarya Applied Sciences University. At the meetings has been discussed ideas and good practices in the field of safety and security in sport and has been exchanged views on the potential development of the mutual cooperation on the topic in the future.

In the period 21-24 of August 2021 in Sofia, Bulgaria was held #SafeSPORTevent International training Complex security environment that allowed the participants (sport managers, administrators and volunteers) to actively contribute to its personal and professional development educational activities and format for exchange of ideas and good practices in the field of safety and security in sport. The meeting ensured both acquirement of practical skills and knowledge of the involved sport managers, administrators and volunteers and a unique experience to cooperate on international level in order to solve common challenges in the field of safety and security during sport events.

In the period 18/06 – 22/06/2021, in VUSB Nessebar was held an water sports camp, which was attended by young people with intellectual disabilities and the activities were conducted by professors from the four sectors of the Department of Water Sports at NSA. “Vasil Levski” in full compliance with all anti-epidemic measures.

#SafeSPORTevent project comes in very challenging times for Europe and the World when the European Commission's main objective is the safety of all Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps participants and far abroad – protection of any further similar challenges that might come in future. #SafeSPORTevent main aim is to protect athletes, especially the youngest, from health and safety hazards by improving training and competition conditions and especially during forcemajor security threads that need to be handled by specific security protocols that at this point of development do not exist in sport sector. The project will support the mobility of volunteers, coaches, managers and staff of non-profit sport organisations for educational purposes and will enrich their skills and knowledge for reaction in safety and security situations. The present research aims to find the state of art of safety and security in sport sector. The collected data will be analyzed by the project team and the aggregated data of the research will be considered during planning the educational activities of #SafeSPORTevent project.

On 16th of February 2021 the partners of #SafeSPORTevent project has gathered online to discuss project activities, administration, implementation and reporting of projects in the field of sports, as well as the opportunities for implementation of activities in regards of the pandemic COVID-19.

An online meeting was held on 12 February 2021 between the coordinators of Erasmus+ Sport co-funding projects starting in 2021 and representatives of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which manages the funding of the education, culture, audiovisual, sport, citizenship and volunteering.

An online meeting was held on 09 February 2021 between the coordinators of Erasmus+ Sport co-funding projects starting in 2021 and representatives of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), which manages the funding of the education, culture, audiovisual, sport, citizenship and volunteering.

- Donor: Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, Sport Chapter - Small Collaborative partnership - Project start: 01/01/2021 - Project lifetime: 24 months • Coordinator: Bulgaria, Bulgarian sports development association – (www.bulsport.bg) • Partner 1: Bulgaria, Sofia Security Forum - (www.csofiaforum.bg) • Partner 2: Turkey, Karasu Gençlik, Sanat ve Spor Kulübu Derneği (www.kargenc.com) • Partner 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnian Representative Association for Valuable Opportunities (BRAVO) (https://bravo-bih.com/) • Partner 4: ΑΕΤΟΙ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗΣ (www.aetoithessalonikis.gr)