Congress of the European college of sport science

Paris 4-7 July 2023 Paris is one of my top three destinations in Europe. I’m looking forward to being there in 2023, in my final year as ECSS President, with what promises to be an excellent edition. The timing is perfect. Having our congress in Paris in 2023 allows us to highlight cutting-edge European sports science research one year before the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to a diverse, international audience that is involved with and fascinated by the games. For the first time, the 28th ECSS annual congress in Paris will include contributions from the International Olympic Committee. The Committee has been interested in our organisation for many years, and in 2023, our relations will finally be strengthened through two symposia dedicated to the monitoring and protection of athletes’ health during the Olympic Games: the impact of global warming, prevention of mental disorders, imaging and medical treatments, and the role and organisation of medical and paramedical teams working with athletes and Olympic and Paralympic team staff. Beyond the scientific community, the ECSS also addresses the public. We wish to contribute to the development of sport for the greatest number of people. Studying sports performance and facilitating access for children and teenagers to practice and even get to the highest level is essential. But it is just as important to work towards a societal objective in order to give people – from childhood – a taste for sport. Changing cultures and behaviours in order to benefit from a better quality of life and to fight against obesity is one of the goals that we – researchers and advocates of the sports world in general – are targeting. ECSS Paris 2023 will therefore be resolutely turned towards the societal challenges of tomorrow’s sport, as all those involved in its organisation carry the vision of a world in which sport occupies a prominent place in the lives of athletes and the general public alike. We are delighted that Paris is also carrying this vision by hosting the ECSS congress.