The Council of Europe’s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) held its 4th edition of the Forum on Sport and Human Rights on 16 December in hybrid format (Council of Europe Office in Paris and online).
This annual event focuses on one or more topical issues for the world of sport. The 2025 edition put the spotlight on two themes, touching on the interaction between sport and the right to health.
The Forum focused on how to provide physical and sports activities tailored to women, with a view to reducing the gender gap in participation in physical and sports activities. Women’s health specificities have to date not been sufficiently taken into account or mapped, especially in the context of sport. In the framework of EPAS’s work on gender equality, it is a priority to ensure that women and girls' health in sport is factored in in practical terms. This work will be further expanded in 2026 by the upcoming joint Council of Europe - European Union project “Active and Equal”, which will aim to ensure that women’s health needs are systematically integrated into sports systems and policies, leading to greater gender equality and improved participation and well-being across all life stages.
The event also spotlighted mental health issues faced by athletes. In recent years, the sports world has increasingly resonated with testimonies of such struggles from athletes across all disciplines. Performance pressure, constant media attention, gambling addictions and the impact of social media, among others, can pose serious threats to the mental health of those in the limelight. At a time when the full extent of these issues is only beginning to emerge, EPAS wants to make sure that best practice across Europe and beyond is shared and taken into consideration. This reflection will contribute to the preparatory work for the 19th Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport, which will focus on the health benefits and risks of sports activities for children and young people.
The 2025 Forum on Sport and Human Rights included a morning seminar and two simultaneous afternoon workshops on each of the above-mentioned topics. During the seminar, panellists discussed some positive and negative aspects linked to both thematic areas and shared best practice examples for well-being in sport. The workshops provided an opportunity to brainstorm as to how the Council of Europe can provide added value in each of the two areas. The event brought together representatives from international organisations, national public authorities, sports bodies, as well as athletes with lived experience, among others.
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