As anticipation builds for EuroGames Lyon 2025, Europe's largest inclusive sporting event dedicated to LGBTI+ people, we are excited to announce an important conference cycle titled "Fighting Discrimination, Building Inclusion: The Legacy of EuroGames for LGBTQI+ Rights in Sport". This series of conferences is a key component of the EuroGames Legacy program, designed to have a lasting impact beyond the sporting competitions themselves.

The conference cycle aims to provide crucial input for local, national, and European public policies on inclusive sport and to support the development of skills and measures that combat discrimination among players, members, coaches, local authorities, and civil society. It will bring together a diverse range of stakeholders, including institutional partners, federations, researchers, European project leaders, local authorities, and sports associations.

The key themes of the conference

Organised by a consortium of key partners, including the City of Lyon, City of Villeurbanne, Metropolis of Lyon, the European Gay & Lesbian Sport Federation (EGLSF), Foundation FIER, University Lyon, and the Office des Sports de Lyon, the conferences reflects a shared conviction that sport is a powerful vector for cohesion, equality, and social innovation and it will address three main themes:
1. Promoting the inclusion of LGBTQI+ people in sport, drawing heavily on the lessons learned from the European ERASMUS+ PLUSS project coordinated by the EGLSF.
2. Strengthening the social commitment of sports organizations by promoting initiatives and labels such as FIER SPORT.
3. Combating discrimination experienced locally, focusing on highlighting the dynamics within Lyon, Villeurbanne, and the Metropolis.

A central highlight will be the EGLSF's presentation of the major outcomes of the PLUSS project. This Erasmus+-funded initiative has been committed to fostering safer and more inclusive sports environments. The key deliverables to be showcased include:
• A comprehensive research report on the history of the LGBTQIA+ sports movement in Europe, conducted by the prestigious German Sport University of Cologne, and including an illustrated story visually documenting the journey of LGBTQIA+ sports.
• Practical Community Guidelines for creating welcoming, safe, and inclusive spaces for LGBTQIA+ athletes.
• The Purple Policy Paper offers critical policy recommendations for decision-makers.

Stay tuned for more information

This conference represents a significant opportunity to engage with crucial issues of discrimination and inclusion in sports and to learn about new tools and research that can help build a more equitable future for LGBTQI+ individuals in the sporting world.

The conference is open to all. However, registration will be required due to a limited capacity of 250 places in the hosting venue, the Grand Salon. More details on this will come soon !

Stay tuned, and we can’t wait to see you there.

PLUSS, an Erasmus+ project co-funded by the European Commission

Keep up to date through our social media, newsletter and the PLUSS dedicated section in the
EGLSF webpage! +PLUSS PROJECT - EGLSF.info