OUTDOOR SPORTS EURO’MEET
The Outdoor Sports Euro’Meet is a biennial event that is under the aegis of and managed by the European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS).
This great conference is a must for those responsible for outdoor and general sports development in Europe who are looking for innovative ways to get people and communities more active especially through the use of the outdoors.
If you are local and regional authority staff responsible for recreation and/or tourism, a university researcher or academic, or from a national federation or governing body of sport, or an outdoor business owner or manager then this conference is for you!
THE 5TH OUTDOOR SPORTS EURO’MEET
The 5th Outdoor Sports Euro’meet was held in Viana do Costelo, Portugal, from 23rd to 26th september 2019 with 492 delegates from 18 different countries at the event.
Four themes were explored throughout the event:
- #BeActive, be healthy, be outdoors
- Urban Outdoors
- Blue Growth
- Urban Outdoors
As a result of the Euro’meet, the delegates worked collaboratively to develop a series of 26 key recommendations that are detailed in section X of this report. 14 of the recommendations are for the European Network of Outdoor Sports (ENOS) and will help form the work programme for the ENOS Management Committee who meet 3 times per year.
The management committee members are all volunteers and ENOS has only 1 part time officer (provided by the CREPS Rhone Alpes in France) which means that the capacity to deliver on these is somewhat limited. However, members are fully committed and enthusiastic practitioners in outdoor sports and so will endeavour to prioritise and work through the actions.
12 actions were identified as key recommendations that should be sent to the EU Sport Unit which sits under the Directorate General for Education Youth Sport and Culture (EAC).
PREVIOUS EURO’MEET

At the conference 4 key themes were discussed with keynote speakers and recognised experts in their field all involved. These key themes were:
- Mass mega sporting events
- Active tourism
- Outdoor sports in protected areas
- Outdoor sports, health and well being
7 actions were identified as key recommendations that should be sent to the EU Sport Unit which sits under the DG for Education Youth Sport and Culture (EAC). While these are sent to the EAC some relate to other units such as the DG for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Finally, there are 11 recommendations that can be adopted by national, regional and local authorities, protected area managers or event organisers to improve how outdoor sports are managed and developed in their region.
Ressources and presentations
Program
Summary Recommendations
Plenary Sessions
- Environmental Work in the Nat… Confederation of Denmark
- Get Wet Project.Launch of the… for Watersports-M.MCLURE
- Get Wet to Get Healthy-M.BAZILE
- How Active are People in PNA-E.FARIA
- Nordic Skiing Camppersonal and social effects-P.MATEU
- Outdoor activities in protected areas- M.GARRIGA
- Paddling to Alaska
- Active Tourism in natural Protected Areas in the Valencian Region-M.MORANT
- Promoting Holistic Recreations in the Outdoors-A.WARD
- Rescue in Mountain Sports. GRAE Montain Rescue Group
- Sports and Nature Conservation.Friends or foe-P.ANDRES
- The Meeting of Ski Touring ans Ski Resorts- R.LEPEMP
- The Potential of Positive You…l Environments-S.HARTMANN
- Transpyr Adventure- Dr ORIOL SALLENT
Theme 1 & 2 : Mass mega Sports Events & Active tourism
- Participatory Sport Event Travel Trajectory-T.ANDERSSON
- Barcelona Pirineus. A Great Olympic Challenge-E.TRUNO
- Capacity for Public Use in Pr…tural Areas-J.GOMEZ-LIMON
Theme 3: Outdoor Sports in protected area
- Classificación Carreras en la Montaña-E.INGLES
- Governance Sustainable Development-E.INGLES
- Andorra Turismo Activo
- Oral_Presentation_La Seu De Urgell L.Lund
Theme 4: Well being

These areas are actively promoting participation in outdoor sports for local communities to increase health enhancing physical activity and also as a place for activity based and eco-tourism to drive economic regeneration.
2015 Euro’Meet key themes:
- The social benefits of outdoor sports and methods to increase participation for all and also among under-represented groups along with results if available.
- Innovative approaches to smart development of territories through outdoor sports.
An overarching theme to both of these elements will be the issue of working in border regions.
Summary report and key recommendations

- A “transversal event” that promotes decompartmentalisation between stakeholders and countries ;
- An operational event that draws on experiences and projects in the field.
- Proceeded by a network day that allows European structures to meet (Examples during Annecy 2011: International Union of Mountain Leader, European Nordic activities meeting, CEDIP (European Diving) Association…).
The particularity of the Nature & Sports Euro’Meet is that it relies upon the co-organization between the European steering committee (cf.annexe 2), who guarantees the regularity of the spirit of the Euro’meet, and the territorial organizer, who applies territorial development of outdoor sports into the project.
Ressources and presentations
Program
Event conclusions
Theme 1: Outdoor sports in protected natural areas
- The NPD Group
- NECSTouR
- Sport Management Strategy- INGLESYUBA Eduard
- National Trust-M.ZBLEWSKA
- Recreation Monitoring and Research in Finland
- Europarc and Nature Sports
Theme 2: Learning and outdoor education
- Evaluation-incidence-natua-2000-manifestations-sportives Mr VINCENT
- Partnership-sport-environment-in-england
- Recreation-Monitoring-and-Research-in-Finland_SIEVANEN
- Wilderness-and-outdoor-activities
- Caving-and-children-P.HOLUBEK
- Credit-rating-snowsport-courses-P.ALLISON
- Outdoor-in-slovakia-M.BABIAR
- The-Manifesto-for-Learning-Outside-the-classroom-B.GARDNER
- climbing_and_health-J.BALAS
Theme 3: Be Happy, be healthy – be outdoors
- Introduction-be-happy-be-healthy-be-outdoor-sports-V.BUNC
- la-marche-clé-du-bien-vieillir-A.DUCORNET
- Metsähallitus-Natural-Heritage-Services-Finland-OpenAir-T.LEPIKKO
- Sport-Santé-sur-ordonnance-Strasbourg-J.VERGNES
Theme 4: Sustainable territorial development through outdoor sports

Rich and interesting conferences like : the role of leisure outdoor sports in the territorial development; the environment in the outdoor event; sustainable development and the leisure outdoor sports; vocation, tendencies and new outdoor practices such as the kite surf or the slack line. Moreover, there are some visits of outdoor activities sites in the surroundings of Annecy.
Numerous personalities are expected:
- Mrs Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet – French environment Ministry,
- Mrs Chantal Jouanno – French Sports Ministry,
- Mr. Gregory Paulger – Youth and Sports Director of European Commission,
- Mr. Colin Miège – sub-prefect and Co-Director of the Scientific Committee of Sport and Citizenship which will host round table on the concept of outdoor sports in Europe,
- Madam MEP Sophie Auconie as a great witness concluding plenary and experts from 15 European countries.
European experts for our four theme seminars:
- Mike Mc Clure, Countryside Recreation Officer, Sport Northern Ireland – Tollymore National center of outdoor sports and Member of the European steering committee of Nature & Sports Euro’Meet.
- Gérard Peltre, President, International association Rurality Environment Development, Vice President of the ‘Parc Naturel Régional de Lorraine-France’ and member of the European steering committee of the Nature & Sports Euro’Meet
- Jean-Louis Gouju, Director of Analysis Centre of training, jobs, careers in the entertainment and sports – CAFEMAS
- Eugénio Di Maria, Founder and CEO, European Decision Maker Publications.