French research on the financing of the EU sport structure illustrates that the top and the base of the pyramid tends to dissociate from each other. The research thereby support the opinion earlier presented by ISCA president, Mogens Kirkeby.
At Play the Game Conference in Reykjavik Iceland in November 2007 and at the European Sport Forum in Biarritz, France in October 2008, the ISCA president pointed out that the sport pyramid model is not any longer illustrating the reality in sport. The relations and interactions between the bottom of the pyramid (grass-root sport), and the top of the pyramid (elite sport)are not very significant or important any more. The elite sport attracts most funding, political and media attention and therefore the grass-root has little benefit of such type of 'solidarity', which the sport pyramid tends to illustrate.

See resume of study carried out by Amnyos Group for the French Ministry of Sport here.

We encourage young people aged 18-30 years old experienced in participation or organisation of Large-Scale Sports Festivals to register for the international training course organized by ISCA and UMFI in the period of 5.-12.7.2009 in Iceland.
Deadline for registration is 1st May 2009.
The participation fee for the training is set at 50.-€ per participant.
Read more about the training and the related topics here.
Register on-line here.

The running event will be on Sunday April 19th in dozens of cities in Italy and in the world. Vivicittà will become an expression of solidarity with people who suffered in the tragedy of the recent earthquake in Italy.

Vivicittà had a prologue in the races of Genoa, Turin and in the prison of Brescia. The XIV edition of "Vivicittà - Open Doors" took place on March 28th, in the Penitentiary of Verziano (Brescia). At 10.30, 150 students of the college participated in the race with 50 male and female prisoners.

On Sunday March 29th, in Genoa and Turin took place "Waiting for Vivicittà", with 800 participants in Genoa and 1.750 in Turin.
Read more about Vivicitta 2009 here.

More than 200 participants from 4 countries gathered over Easter in Copenhagen for the ISCA badminton festival, co-organised by ISCA member DGI.

And this was by no means a traditional badminton event! Participants were mixed across nationalities and gender upon arrival, thus highligting the importance of social and intercultural interaction and adding a new dimension to the badminton game.

Benny Andreasen, leader of the ISCA network of badminton-interested organisations and responsible for the event for DGI, was very satisfied with the ISCA festival and invites new organisations to join the ISCA badmonton network in order to create even more activities and sport new trends and possibilities in badminton on a grass-root level. Click here for more information or send an email to Benny Andreasen.

Jean-Claude Arnaud, Pascale Portenart-Bourdier and Dana Kamarauskiene from USEP (PATHE Associate partner) visited NEMUNAS in Lithiania (PATHE Colleborating partner). The project managers from USEP are very resourceful for NEMUNAS who is in the development stages of implementing a health and physical activity project. The project managers availed themselves to NEMUNAS for feedback, idea exchange, work plan development and funding development.
Read more here.

We invite you to watch a live interview with the world famous Brazilian Volleyball player Ana Moser. Ana is currently the manager of an NGO (Instituto Esporte Educação) working with education through sport aimed at formation and development of citizenship.
During the interview, the audience can participate sending questions and comments online and join the forum for further discussions. Live transmission at www.sescsp.org.br/forumvirtual

The Virtual Forum ‘Sport for All’ is an initiative from SESC SP (Social Service of Commerce) and ISCA (International Sport and Culture Association) through its Latin American Youth Committee.
Read more here.

SESC SP – Social Service of Commerce and FEPADET Pan American Federation of Sport for All will promote the International Seminar Active Childhood, with the objective to discuss the importance of sportive practices and leisure in the childhood, interfaces with Education, Public Incentives and Communitarian Initiatives, aiming at the training of physically, active and socially integrated adults.
Read more here.

Seven ministries, four national sport organisations, stakeholders from local governments and the private fitness sector have published a report on the Sport for All situation in Denmark. The report includes 42 recommendations to develop the access to and the participation in sport and physical activity.
Read more about the recommendations here.

The Council of Europe's human rights body last week called on governments across Europe to fight racism in sport ahead of last Saturday's international day for the elimination of racial discrimination.
Concerned by the rise in racist behaviour in and around sports grounds in many European countries, the Council of Europe's Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) last week issued recommendations on how governments should fight racism and racial discrimination in sports. Read more.

A growing number of stakeholders realise that sport cannot fulfil its ambitions by being succesful as a global entertainment industry. On the contrary, commercial success is sometimes accompanied by serious threats to the core values and credibility of sport as a driver of social, cultural and educational progress.

Play the Game and its conference partners, the Center for the International Business of Sport at Coventry University, invite you to join in Coventry for the sixth world communication conference on sport and society.
Read more here.

UMFI, the Icelandic Youth Association, informed ISCA about its plans to broaden the idea of youth empowerment and youth participation throughout Iceland. Guðrún Snorradóttir, project officer at UMFI, explained that recent legislative initiatives by the Youth Ministry would commit local authorities to establish youth councils. UMFI welcomed this action, as they genuinely believe this will bring some new energy into local communities.
Read more here.

During ISCA's Executive Committee meeting in Brasil Helaine Lima was interviewed about her new position within ISCA and on what ISCA's Youth work in Latin America should be focused on.
Click here to see the interview.