Last week it was finally time for the project partners to meet in person again for the follow-up to the Interact project, aptly titled Interact+. The Interact project consisted of several European and International sport who worked together under the guidance of TAFISA to create tools and resources to raise awareness about Sport for all. This new project aims at finding methods to use and implement the outputs of the previous project.

What's new is also that we have been joined by the University of Limerick as project partner, and that's why we all met up in Limerick last week. Spring had sprung on the Emerald Isle and the weather contributed to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. The conference itself took place on the expansive grounds on the university campus, but mostly at PESS (the department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences).

On Wednesday the project partners met up to handle administrative issues before the University of Limerick presented their finding. They have done an extensive literature review of peer reviewed articles regarding both benefits of, and barriers to, Sport for all. Their findings will surely help in building the case of Sport for all within the wider sports movement.

After their presentation it was time to get quick introduction to Gaelic games. Suffice it to say that the bruises and swollen extremities the next day showed how serious the participants took it. The day ended with dinner at pub in the old town, complete with Irish music and dancing.

The next day it was time for the International Table Tennis Federation to present their progress on the various workshops and trainings aiming to disseminate the results of the first project. Invitations will be issued in the near future so keep your eyes open!

The day further offered discussions on how to market and present the various Interact+ outputs to make them attractive for sport organisations. Helpful in achieving these goals was the feedback we received from the advisory board meeting held that afternoon. The day again was closed by dinner, this time at a restaurant on campus.

The conference ended on Friday, with more discussions and workshopping lead by our gracious hosts on how to make the case for Sport for all. It was a very productive conference, and I am looking forward to sharing more of the project with you all soon!

Seeing as we were in Limerick, it is only fitting that we share a limerick with you all. It was composed on the spot by Jörg Benner from the European Flying Disc Federation:

"There once was a meeting at UL
with topics not easy to tell.
Get activity raised,
best evidence based,
to foster well-being in general."

Article written by:

Maarit Larinen, Chairwoman of the WMF Sport for All committee

Photo from L to R: 

Catherine Woods, University of Limerick
Christoph Oberlehner, ITTF
Hanna Einsiedler, ITTF
Denise Robrade, TAFISA
Game Mothibi, TAFISA
Patrick Perosa, IDO
Aurelie VanHoye, University of Limerick
Jean-Francois Laurent, TAFISA
Giorgio Barone, CBI
Jörg Benner, EFDF
Maarit Larinen, WMF