European Platform for Athletics and Collaborative Events (EURO PACE)

Programme(s): Erasmus+ (ERASMUS+)
Topic: ERASMUS-SPORT-2024-SNCESE
Type of action: ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants
Project ID: 101184907

Objective: "EuroPACE is a unique Project designed to directly combat the startling fact that nearly half of European students aged 14–18 lack adequate physical activity. The project mission is crystal clear: to offer a sports platform that ensures that every student, irrespective of their socio-economic background, partakes in physical activity & sport. Aligned with the EU's sustainability goals, EuroPACE champions eco-friendly practices, slashing the carbon emissions involved in contemporary sports events. The key goal of the Project is to organize demos and training for a new event named ""Digital School Sport Day"" (DSSD) during the European Week of Sport (EWoS) across 4 countries (in 20 schools, involving more than 2000 students), with a novel approach to pan-European events by seamlessly integrating local competitions digitally. The project is designed to revolutionize the school sports competitions, while promoting sports as a tool for health and providing an opportunity to the young students to compete at international level, but in the same time staying locally, within their familiarized & safe environs. The core innovation lies in eliminating extensive travel, offering substantial advantages in affordability & promoting environmental & economic sustainability, thereby falling under the objectives & priorities of the Action as well as the Erasmus+ Programme. The project has been successfully tested as a pilot event organized on September 23, 2023, in two schools in Romania (Bucharest's Dante Aligheri) & France (Nante’s Les Abeilles de Saint Clair), involving 4 sport disciplines: running, basketball shooting, chess & rowing. The high level of participation, huge excitement & overwhelming response, inspired the Project Coordinator, ASCG to expand the concept to more partner countries & organizations with specific expertise & skills related to school sports across EU, with the ultimate aim to creating a legacy DSSD annual event involving all the EU Member States during EWoS."