Seventh EOA Congress Prague in Review

The Seventh EOA Congress, held from October 6 to 10, 2025, in Prague, Czech Republic, brought together representatives of 30 National Olympic Academies (NOAs), Olympic experts, and institutional partners from across Europe. Under the theme “Current Issues and Developments of the Olympic Movement”, the Congress continued the EOA’s mission of fostering exchange and cooperation between educational and Olympic institutions in a time of transformation. Hosted by the Czech Olympic Academy in collaboration with the Czech Olympic Committee, the event marked a symbolic return to Prague, marking the centenary of the 1925 Olympic Congress, where fundamental debates on the future of Olympism had once taken place.

Over the course of four intensive days, more than 60 participants explored a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from Olympic education and digital heritage to gender equity, athlete safeguarding, and ethical challenges, including the emergence of the so-called Enhanced Games. The Congress combined high-level lectures and panel discussions with practical workshops, enabling delegates to share experiences and best practices from their respective countries.

A particular highlight of the week was the EOA Flame Awards 2025 ceremony, held during the Gala Dinner at Prague’s historic Tyrš House. The evening celebrated outstanding achievements in Olympic education and heritage, honouring four academies that exemplify the Olympic ideals (read the detailed report here). The Congress concluded with the Eighth EOA General Assembly, which featured the presentation of the EOA Medals of Merit to Agajan Abiyev for his lasting contributions to the Olympic Movement in Europe (read the detailed report here). Building on the success of previous editions in Vilnius and Olympia, the Seventh EOA Congress in Prague once again highlighted the EOA’s growing role as a platform for reflection, policy dialogue, and collective learning within the Olympic Movement.

Day 1: Opening and Welcome

Before the official start of the Seventh EOA Congress, delegates and valued partners from across Europe arrived in Prague throughout Monday, gathering at the Grand Majestic Plaza Hotel, the central venue of this year’s event. In the afternoon, the EOA Executive Board convened for its regular meeting to review the organisation’s ongoing activities and to finalise the arrangements for the coming days. The day culminated in the official opening of the Congress.

Welcoming addresses were delivered by Alexandr Kliment, President of the Czech Olympic Academy, Prof. Charilaos Tsolakis, President of the International Olympic Academy, José Manuel Araújo, Board Member and Chair of the Olympic Education and Culture Commission of the European Olympic Committees, and Prof. Manfred Laemmer, President of the European Olympic Academies. In their speeches, they highlighted the symbolic significance of convening in Prague, exactly one hundred years after the 1925 Olympic Congress, and the city’s historic role in shaping the intellectual heritage of the Olympic Movement. The opening was followed by a welcome dinner, during which delegates exchanged first impressions and renewed connections in a warm atmosphere.

Day 2: Lectures, Commission Workshops and Gala Highlights

Kicking off the second day’s proceedings, a set of expert lectures addressed the themes of Olympic education and gender equity. The morning session brought together four speakers, each shedding light on different aspects of learning, inclusion and leadership within the Olympic Movement.

Maria Bogner, Head of the IOC Olympic Studies Centre, began by presenting new approaches to digital education and the dissemination of Olympic knowledge. She underlined how the IOC’s knowledge management strategy serves not only as an archive, but as “a living resource connecting research, policy, and education worldwide.” Following her, Róisín McGettigan-Dumas, founder of Ireland’s Dare to Believe programme, shared how Olympians have become ambassadors for values education. “Olympians can inspire children to dream bigger,” she said, “not just in sport, but in life.” Her presentation illustrated how structured engagement with schools and communities can turn inspiration into lasting impact.

In the third lecture, Dr. Madeleine Pape from the University of Lausanne provided a nuanced academic perspective on fairness and inclusion in women’s sport. Drawing on her experience with the IOC’s Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination, she discussed the complex question of “how we decide who competes in women’s sport” and emphasised that equality cannot exist without consistent and transparent conditions for all athletes. Her analysis highlighted the need for evidence-based dialogue between policymakers, scientists and athletes, reminding delegates that “the challenge is not to decide who belongs, but to create systems where everyone can thrive.” Complementing this perspective, Ilona Burgrová, an Olympian and member of the Czech Olympic Committee, addressed the topic of gender equity in sport from a different angle. She explored how representation, visibility and structural support together shape women’s advancement in sport. During the Q&A, she offered a vivid metaphor to describe the balance required to foster progress:

“Gender equity works like a burger: you need top-down pressure and bottom-up momentum. Only with both layers pressing together does real progress become possible.”

Her image captured the essence of the debate, that genuine progress toward gender equality depends on both institutional commitment and grassroots initiative acting in concert.

Panel with EOA Commission Heads

In the afternoon, the programme continued with an interactive panel discussion featuring the Heads of the EOA Commissions, who presented their key achievements and ongoing projects. They emphasised the importance of collaboration across thematic areas, from education and heritage to development and communication, to strengthen the EOA’s collective voice in Europe. Subsequently, delegates participated in a series of workshops organised by the EOA Commissions, providing hands-on opportunities to exchange best practices and contribute to future initiatives. Topics included safeguarding in sport, the integration of Olympic values into national education systems, and strategies for digital outreach and storytelling.

Gala Dinner and EOA Flame Awards 2025

The day culminated in a festive Gala Dinner at Prague’s historic Tyrš House, a landmark of Czech sport and Olympic heritage that provided the perfect backdrop for an evening celebrating the unity of tradition and progress within the Olympic Movement. The programme featured two distinguished highlights: the presentation of the EOA Flame Awards 2025, honouring excellence in Olympic education and heritage, and the launch of The Idealist, a new publication by the Czech Olympic Academy showcasing the cultural legacy of Czech Olympism.

Now in its third edition, the EOA Flame Awards have become a benchmark for recognising value-driven projects that strengthen the Olympic spirit across Europe. Among the laureates were the Czech Olympic Academy for its Olympic Multimedia Library ŠUPČÍK, the National Olympic Academy of Ukraine for Memorabilia in Olympic Culture and Heritage, the Serbian Olympic Academy for Promotion of Olympic Values: Respect, Friendship and Excellence, and the German Olympic Academy together with its French partners for the German-French Olympic Youth Camp Paris 2024.

Introduced by Czech Olympic Academy Vice-President Zdeněk Škoda, the evening also paid tribute to the centennial legacy of the 1925 Olympic Congress in Prague. In this atmosphere of reflection and cultural appreciation, The Idealist (a new publication by the Czech Olympic Academy, authored by George Hirthler with a Czech translation provided by the Czech National Olympic Academy) was officially presented, marking its debut before an international audience of Olympic scholars and practitioners.

Hosted by Olympian Tomáš Verner and enriched by the musical performance of Radka Fišarová, the Gala beautifully combined cultural pride and international friendship. The EOA expressed its sincere appreciation to the Czech Olympic Academy and the Czech Olympic Committee for creating a memorable and inspiring setting for this celebration of Olympic values and collaboration.

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Day 3: Enhanced Games and European projects

The third day focused on a very controversial issue in contemporary sport: the emergence of the Enhanced Games and their implications for anti-doping, ethics, and the integrity of athletic competition.

Matthias Behr, Director of Education at the National Anti-Doping Agency of Germany (NADA), opened the session with a detailed insight into the evolution of anti-doping policy and the challenges posed by new commercial concepts promoting performance enhancement outside the Olympic framework. He reminded delegates that the foundation of clean sport is not only regulation but responsibility: “Anti-doping is not about control. It is about protecting clean athletes and ensuring that sport remains safe, fair, and meaningful.” His presentation illustrated how testing, education, and ethical awareness form a coherent system to preserve athletes’ health and the credibility of competition. In the afternoon, Matthias Behr continued the discussion in a specialised workshop, offering participants a closer look at the practical aspects of anti-doping education.

Approaching the issue from a different perspective, Prof. Jim Parry of the University of Leeds provided a philosophical perspective on the same topic. Analysing the rhetoric of the Enhanced Games, he encouraged the audience to think critically about the difference between innovation and transgression. “The promise of medically supervised doping,” he argued, “is a contradiction in itself. Once you remove limits, you invite coercion and exploitation.” Prof. Jim Parry argued that sport’s humanistic purpose requires the “natural athlete”, warning that unrestricted enhancement risks turning competition into an experiment on human beings and eroding the public’s connection to athletes. His reflections sparked a lively debate among delegates on the boundaries of human performance and the moral role of sport in society.

A second major theme of the day was dedicated to the ongoing work of the EOA and the hosts of the Czech Olympic Academy, highlighting their contributions to Olympic education and international cooperation in the past years. Soenke Schadwinkel, who has continued to serve as Senior Advisor for EU projects since stepping down as Executive Officer in July 2024, was particularly acknowledged for his key role in developing and managing the EOA’s Erasmus+ initiatives. Together with Bastian Grueger, current Executive Officer of the EOA, the latest achievements and future directions of the organisation’s project portfolio, including BESST, Integrity Atlas and SOPROS, were presented.

In an engaging workshop session, Soenke also invited delegates to look back on the seven-year journey of the EOA, tracing its development from its foundation in Ljubljana in 2018 to its current position as a leading European network for Olympic education and cooperation. Participants reflected on the milestones achieved, the growing network of partners, and the vision for the years ahead.

The workshop programme was rounded off by Dr. Clea Papaellina and Rares Stănescu from the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE), who led a hands-on session linking back to Maria Bogner’s presentation on Tuesday morning. The day concluded with a cultural dinner at FUZE in the city centre.

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Day 4: Women in Olympic leadership and the Eighth EOA General Assembly

The morning session of the fourth day opened with a keynote address by Sylvia Schenk, lawyer and long-standing member of the IOC Human Rights Advisory Committee, who explored the implications of Kirsty Coventry’s election as the first female and first African President of the International Olympic Committee. Drawing on her decades of experience in sport and governance, Schenk described this transition as a pivotal moment symbolising generational change and a new balance between continents. She reflected on the evolution of gender equality within the Olympic Movement (from her own time as an athlete at the 1972 Munich Games to the nearly 50% female participation in Paris 2024) and urged European institutions to embrace this shift as an opportunity for renewal.

Her thought-provoking lecture resonated strongly with delegates, providing an ideal bridge between the themes of governance, inclusion, and ethical responsibility that had been discussed throughout the Seventh EOA Congress.residency and the wider geopolitical context. She appealed to NOAs to contribute proactively to upcoming consultations on education, safeguarding and the protection of fundamental principles.

Eighth EOA General Assembly

Following the morning’s plenary, delegates from 26 National Olympic Academies and observers from valued partner organisations (IOA, EFPM and AANOA) convened for the Eighth EOA General Assembly, where the Executive Board presented its annual reports and strategic outlook. The Assembly unanimously discharged the Board and approved new household resolutions based on the subsequent good governance and financial reports and reaffirmed the organisation’s mission to enhance cooperation and representation among Olympic Academies in Europe.

A highlight of the General Assembly was the presentation of the EOA Medal of Merit to Agajan Abiyev, recognising his lifelong dedication to the Olympic Movement and his decisive role in the founding phase of the European Olympic Academies. As one of the key figures who supported the establishment of the organisation in its early years, Abiyev helped to lay the groundwork for the EOA’s structure and international recognition.

Further details of the Assembly and the Medal of Merit ceremony are available at Conclusions of the Eighth EOA General Assembly in Prague.

Looking Ahead

After an inspiring week filled with dialogue, learning and celebration, the Seventh EOA Congress in Prague came to a close with a renewed sense of unity and purpose. The discussions, workshops and ceremonies reflected the diversity of the Olympic family while reaffirming our shared commitment to education, ethics and cooperation. With new partnerships emerging, ambitious projects taking shape and enduring friendships strengthened, the Prague Congress once again demonstrated how the EOA serves as a dynamic platform for exchange and innovation within the Olympic Movement.