Introductory speech within official opening of Erasmus+ CBS Sport_EV project (25.04.2025, online)

On 25 April, the Olympic House hosted a press conference to mark the official launch in Ukraine of the SPORT_EV project – “Capacity Building of Sports Organisations through European Values”, implemented with the support of the European Union under the Erasmus+ programme.

The event was attended by Vadym Guttsait, President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine; Matvii Bidnyi, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine; Yurii Kopytko, President of the Association of Sports Wrestling of Ukraine; and Eduard Proshchuk, First Vice-President of the Association.

Additionally, the presidents of the sports wrestling federations of the Czech Republic and Hungary joined the meeting online, confirming the strength and strategic direction of this cooperation.

The SPORT_EV project brings together five partner organisations:

• The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine;

• The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine;

• The Association of Sports Wrestling of Ukraine;

• The Czech Wrestling Federation;

• The Hungarian Wrestling Federation.

As noted by Yurii Kopytko, President of the Association of Sports Wrestling of Ukraine, the project aims to enhance the professional level of sports personnel, promote European values in sports, and establish sustainable international partnerships. The initiative includes webinars, study visits to Prague and Budapest, and the creation of a Development Programme for Sports Organisations in Ukraine.

Kateryna Zhdanova, Manager of the National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) in Ukraine, also joined the event. She congratulated the participants and outlined the key stages of project implementation in accordance with Programme regulations and Ukrainian legislation. The speaker also emphasised the importance of widely promoting the project’s activities and results to support the reform of Ukraine’s sports sector on its path towards European integration and EU accession.