The “Sport Parks Inspired by the Olympics” project, coordinated by the NOC of the Czech Republic, whose first seven months of existence have just ended, can be summarized in four words: Active, productive, enriching and inspiring. This project is co-financed by the Erasmus + program of the European Union and supported by the IOC.

These past months have seen the launch of the project in Prague, study visits to the Netherlands (NOC * NSF), Italy (CONI) and Belgium (BOIC), as well as the creation of a website, writing he first two chapters of the manual for Sports Parks and the preparation of joint activities for 2018.

The major aim  of the project, which brings together experts from 8 NOCs (Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Slovenia) and a regional public authority (Southern Bohemia) is to provide the potential organizers of sports parks inspired by the Olympic Games with tools for the development, implementation, evaluation and sustainability of their parks.

Wishing to capitalise on the partner organizations ‘expertise , the project organizes working visits providing maximum time for the exchange of good practices between the different actors. The NOC of the Netherlands, for example, provided an overview of its marketing strategy for TeamNL during the 2016 Olympic experience. CONI, for its part, welcomed participants during the “Internazionali” Tennis Master to offer a concrete example of the organization of a major event including many related activities. The Belgian NOC also shared the example of the Rio House, which was set up in Ostend during the 2016 Olympic Games.

The past seven months have also witnessed early progress on the events to be held in 2018 under the Sport Park project during the Winter Games.

The Czech NOC, as project coordinator and initiator of the concept, will set up two parks and looks with pride on its initiatives in 3 other partner countries – France, Italy and Slovenia.

The second half of the current year will also be full of events, as work visits are planned in France and Finland, with the preparation of new chapters of the practical guide which will soon come to life, as well as preparation for the 2018 planned initiatives.

The concept of Sports Parks and Fan Zones has greatly evolved in recent years. The Sports Parks organized during the Olympic Games allow visitors to experience a complete Olympic experience. They can share the emotions of the Olympic team by testing the sports or watching the competitions on giant screens. These Sport Parks also provide visitors with information on the different types of physical activities, the impact of these activities on the physical and mental aspects of active people, and better understanding of Olympism and its values.

To be mentioned among the best examples: “Olympic Parks” of the NOC of the Czech Republic, “Olympic Experience” (NOC of the Netherlands) or “Rio House (NOC of Belgium).