FIM Europe President Dr Wolfgang Srb attended on 21st September the Conference on the Economic Dimension of Sport “Sport for Growth and Employment”, held in Vienna on the occasion of the EU Council presidency semester of Austria. The conference highlighted the diverse economic dimensions of sport with special focus on:
• Sport Satellite Accounts – contribution of sport to GDP and employment
• the economic dimension of sport at the regional level
• sport as a driver of innovation
• health economic effects of physical activity
• the visualisation of voluntary work in the context of national Sport Satellite Accounts
On top, Vice-Chancellor of the Republic of Austria and Federal Minister for the Civil Service and Sport Heinz-Christian Strache addressing the participants of the Conference. Below, Yves Le-Lostecque, Head of Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission. Photos © eu2018at
The conference featured a panel and three workshops, each moderated and allowing the participants to exchange their views and deepen their knowledge.
Workshop 1 Sport and regional development: Contribution to economic growth (Moderator: Arthur Le Gall, SHARE: Alliance for Regional Development in Europe, Sport Hub)
Workshop 2 Sport and innovation: Spillover effects for the whole economy (Moderator: Santa Ozolina, former Chair of the Working Party on Sport of the Council of the EU)
Workshop 3 Methodological aspects: Harmonization of standards in the EU (Moderator: Themis Kokolakakis, Sport Industry Research Centre SIRC, Sheffield Hallam University)
From left: Santa Ozolina, former Chair of the Working Party on Sport of the Council of the EU; Folker Hellmund, Director EU EOC Office; Yves Le-Lostecque, Head of Sport Unit, DG EAC, European Commission; Heinz-Christian Strache, Vice-Chancellor of the Republic of Austria and Federal Minister for the Civil Service and Sport; Karlheinz Kopf MP, Secretary General of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. Photo © eu2018at
At the end of the Conference, FIM Europe President Dr Wolfgang Srb stated: “It is important for us as motorcycle sport to attend this conference and to meet many top representatives from the EU, other sports and many European countries. All in all, we all share the same values: promote the sport, support athletes, clubs and volunteers and work together with all relevant authorities and partners. The impact of the sport on employment and the Gross National Product (GNP) of each country is substantial”.
FIM Europe President Dr Wolfgang Srb
