“In the name of Fair Play, Spirit of Sport”

Looking Back at 2025

The year 2025 marked an important turning point for EFPM.

A new dynamic emerged with the election of a new Board in Olympia, a highly symbolic location. New partnerships were established to tackle current challenges together, notably with EPSI.

EFPM also strengthened its engagement with the European Commission by becoming more involved in Erasmus+ programs through projects led by EUSA and ENGSO, which will enter the implementation phase in 2026.

The Awards confirmed their role: not only during the Olympia ceremony but also through presentations organized in each country to honor the winners at the national level.

Finally, the third edition of the Fair Play for Peace Award, held on September 16 in Brussels, honored Special Olympics International.

But above all…

Several major developments have reinforced EFPM’s structure and visibility:

• The creation of an EFPM Branch office in Ljubljana, at the headquarters of the Slovenian Olympic Committee, already fully operational.
• A significant rapprochement with the European Olympic Committees, which bring together around fifty European National Olympic Committees under the presidency of Spyros Kapralos.
• The launch of a new website: www.fairplayeur.eu.
  The “EU” is not just a technical European dimension: it reflects the ambition to reach all national Olympic committees, international sports institutions based in Europe, and European sports bodies.

EFPM is now fully operational to give, together with you, an ever-greater place to fair play and its fundamental values: respect, inclusion, and solidarity. This shared determination has become a true long-term commitment.

2026: Giving Fair Play a Chance, Every Day, Everywhere in Europe

In 2026, guided by this essential value of Fair Play, EFPM will be active on many fronts:

• Presentation of the European Fair Play Awards in the second half of the year (location to be confirmed),
• A scientific congress in Paris at the end of November on the theme “Fair Play, Spirit of Humanity”,
• Presentation of the Fair Play for Peace Award in late September in Rome,
• Development of World Fair Play Day across Europe, every May 19,
• Strong participation in the European Week of Sport in September,
• And numerous initiatives led by EFPM’s approximately 60 members and associate members, covering 35 countries and 25 European or international organizations.

This represents thousands of actions and concrete moments, strengthening the role of Fair Play in everyday life: among children, teenagers, adults, educators, coaches, sports leaders, as well as within European and national public institutions.

Why Make the Voice of Fair Play Heard?

In a world where competition is omnipresent, fair play is not a slogan: it is a necessity. It embodies universal values — respect, honesty, solidarity — that give sport its true human dimension.

1. Preserve the integrity of sport
   Rules are not constraints but guarantees of fairness and trust.
2. Educate responsible citizens
   Sport is a school of life. Fair play conveys values that go beyond the field: tolerance, respect for differences, team spirit.
3. Strengthen social cohesion
   Fair play is a universal language that brings cultures together and promotes peace.
4. Protect the image of sport
   Faced with abuses linked to cheating or corruption, defending fair play means defending the credibility of sport.

It is a constant effort of education, transmission, and recognition of those who embody these values daily.

Making the voice of Fair Play heard means reminding everyone that victory only makes sense when achieved in respect of the rules and opponents.
It is a collective commitment to a fairer, more human sport that carries hope.

The European Fair Play Movement affirms this determination.

In the name of Fair Play, Spirit of Sport

Philippe Housiaux