Educational-scientific workshops focusing on sport and peace in the European Union

The 2-days event with the title "Social interaction, stability and peace: the role of sports activities in reducing social conflicts in Europe" in the form of one course and two educational workshops was held at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences of Allameh Tabataba'i University.

In these programs, which were conducted simultaneously in person and online with the participation of interested people from various scientific centers, lecturers from Germany and Iran were present and discussed the role of sports in peacebuilding and conflict resolution in the European Union.

Louis Moustakas, a researcher at the Institute for European Sport Development and Leisure Studies, German University of Sport, discussed the role of sport in creating social cohesion in a classroom entitled "United on and off the pitch: Reflections on sport and social cohesion".

The challenges and limitations related to the role of sports in the creation and development of social cohesion and peace building in the national and international dimensions, as well as the future solutions, were discussed between the class teacher and the audience.

Also, Dr. Karen Maria Petry; Deputy Head of the Institute of European Sports Development and Leisure Studies, German University of Sports - Cologne, in a training class titled "Sports and Peace-Building: Approach, Mechanism and Limitations", defined the fields of International, terminology and the place of sports in the development and promotion of sustainable development indicators. Another part of this workshop was dedicated to investigating the role of sports activities in post-crises and humanitarian disasters, including wars. In the final part, football was considered as a case study in peace building. Question and answer and workshop discussions among the participants were also part of this educational program.

These educational workshops continued with the participation of Iranian lecturers from Allameh Tabataba'i University and the National Academy of Public Sports.

In this workshop, the role of sports communities in the development of peace was considered in the form of organizational and individual measures. Referring to the activities carried out by Iranian and foreign athletes as ambassadors of peace, symbols and world awards related to this category were among the things that the lecturers discussed. Also, expanding the field of public sports activities as a tool to achieve individual peace and tranquility and extending it to intra-social relations was a subject that was examined, criticized and debated by the participants.

 Using comprehensive and practical concepts, which are points of commonality and cooperation in the two categories of sports and peace, the lecturers presented discussions on why and how to create sustainable peace-building trends and procedures from the path of sports activities at the international level. The objective experiences of European countries and Iran in holding sports events with the aim of creating regional and global convergence were among the topics that were paid attention to in these programs.