2013 WU Legacy reaches Council of the European Union

 Paolo Bouquet flanked by the FISU President and IFPC President

BRUSSELS/TRENTINO – On 11 July, 2014 Paolo Bouquet, professor of the University of Trento and Vice-President of the Organizing Committee of the 26th Winter Universiade Trentino 2013, was invited as an external expert to deliver a speech on “Sport as a Driver of Innovation and Economic Growth” at the first meeting of the Working Party on Sport of the Council of the European Union.

The invitation arrived from the Sport Office of the Italian government and served the purpose of presenting to the representatives of the member states of the EU the potential of sport as a driver for innovation and economic growth, a theme which will be proposed to the Council as part of the Italian presidency semester.

This is a very important result of the actions which the OC of Trentino 2013, together with FISU and the University of Trento, started as part of the education programme of the 26^th Winter Universiade, which included the conference on “University Sport: Inspiring Innovation” and the International Declaration on this topic which was discussed and signed in Trentino by several academic, sport and industrial authorities, starting with the FISU President Claude-Louis Gallien.

The strong interest in the potential of sport as a driver for innovation and growth is also demonstrated by the fact that the President of the OC, Sergio Anesi, has been invited to join the EC working group on

“Sport Industry”, together with important leaders of the sport sector, including Jean Todt (President of FIA), The President of Adidas, the President of the European Olympic Committees and Sarah Lewis, Secretary-General of the International Ski Federation).

(Source: Trentino 2013)