“Mapping of school sport in Europe” – Laurent Petrynka’s foreword

Since its foundation in 1972, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) provides young people from high schools with an experience that goes beyond sport, towards more education, physical activity, engagement, and life-long learning. Thanks to the school sport network represented among our 90 country members around the world, we estimate that more than 300 million of young people are involved. “Make this 300 000 million bigger” could be the sentence summing up the ISF Vision 2030 and the global mission of ISF and its members. These young people are inspired and motivated on a daily level by several thousands of physical education teachers encouraging them to practise and volunteer in school sport, thus contributing to their health and educational paths before their entrance in the adult life.

I’m particularly proud that ISF released with Sport and Citizenship Think tank this first-ever panorama on school sport in cooperation with our EU members, which showcases the diversity and the characteristics of our stakeholders. I’m convinced that it is crucial for any organisation to understand what it represents and to constantly monitor its evolution and the impact of its network and actions to ensure its added value for the society. Therefore, we decided to initiate this deep and meticulous analysis of our network in the European Union since it is the cradle of the ISF foundation. Moreover, in this challenging period for peace, health and employment for world citizens, I acknowledge the work of the European Union to drive new policies and actions, recognising and supporting the contribution of sport organisations through the European Week of Sport, the Erasmus+ programme and several other initiatives.

As an international organisation, in the near future we will extend the mapping of the school sport network while strengthening our cooperation with the International Olympic Committee and the International Federations to promote more education through sport and more physical activity in and through schools.

Laurent Petrynka, ISF President