In October 2025, our team from ACTIVE Austria had the opportunity to take part in the MOVE Congress 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark — one of the largest international events dedicated to grassroots sport and physical activity. The congress took place from 29–31 October 2025 at the Tivoli Congress Center in Copenhagen, bringing together over 800 participants from more than 60 countries.
What we did
Our mobility lasted one full week and included both study visits and participation in the congress itself.
At the beginning of the week, we visited the offices of the International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA), where we met their team and learned more about how they design and implement international sport initiatives. This was a great opportunity to better understand their working methods, organisational structure and approach to grassroots sport. We also took part in study visits to local sport facilities in Denmark, where we explored different examples of good practice and discussed how these could be adapted to our own context. These first days also allowed us to connect with other organisations and start building new partnerships.
During the second part of the week, we joined the MOVE Congress itself. Over three days, we followed the programme, participated in workshops and discussions, and observed how a large international event is organised in practice. We had the chance to engage with participants from different countries, exchange ideas and learn from a wide range of experiences. This part of the mobility gave us valuable insight into event organisation, volunteer coordination and international cooperation, while also inspiring new ideas for our future activities.
What the programme focused on
The main theme of the 2025 edition was “#Activating” — exploring how to engage more people in sport and physical activity.
Key topics included:
- social inclusion through sport
- mental health and wellbeing
- volunteering and community engagement
- sustainability and active lifestyles
- youth participation and education
What made the MOVE Congress unique was its interactive and dynamic format, encouraging participants to move, connect and actively engage rather than just listen.
What we take with us
The MOVE Congress was a valuable learning experience for our team. We gained practical insight into how large-scale sport events are organised and collected ideas we can already apply in our own activities in Vienna. The congress also inspired new project ideas, including future Erasmus+ initiatives, and introduced us to fresh approaches to inclusion and community engagement in sport.
At the same time, we built new connections with organisations and professionals from across Europe, strengthening our international network. We return motivated, inspired and better prepared to continue developing inclusive and engaging sport activities in our community.
Participating in MOVE Congress 2025 was an inspiring experience and we are excited to turn what we learned into new projects, events and collaborations in the coming months!
