European Platform for Sport Innovation

What an incredible weekend at RiminiWellness 2026! This is how we accelerated innovation and growth across the sports ecosystem over four days:

1️⃣ We hosted the international workshop bringing together Audra Elena Shallal (EBAN Sports), Kristiina Jokelainen (SmartNorth Ltd) and Mike Yang (ABSG) to share insights on investment, entrepreneurship and the future of sport innovation.

2️⃣ EPSI Executive Director Alberto Bichi joined the judging panel of the Innovation Area Start-up Pitch Competition, meeting some of the most promising emerging companies in the sector (among which VitalizeDx)

3️⃣ Throughout the event, we welcomed two EPSI members to our booth:

🧠 PERFORMA, combining VR, gamification and advanced analytics to make cognitive and physical performance measurable and trainable.

💪 Ondapulsante.it, presenting Ondafit IMBODY, an all-in-one intelligent training system featuring body analysis within a compact 2 m² solution.

Most importantly, RiminiWellness once again proved the value of good networking and in-person meetings (a lot of EPSI Members were there too and a lot of new connections!). Thank you to everyone who visited our stand, attended our workshop, shared ideas and explored new opportunities for collaboration.

If you are interested in showcasing your innovation with us, send an email to [email protected]

See you next year, Rimini!

The RiminiWellness 2026 is almost there!

Join us on the 28th of May for our international workshop: “𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻”. The session will explore how funding, investment and innovation strategies can better support the future of sport and physical activity ecosystems across Europe and beyond.

Moderated by Alberto Bichi (EPSI Executive Director), the workshop will feature:
• Kristiina Jokelainen, SmartNorth Ltd
• Mike Yang, AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group
• Audra Elena Shallal, EBAN Sports

You can find us:
📍 Fitness Innovation Area – Hall B3
📅 Thursday, May 28th
⏰ 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.

And if you come to our stand with an interesting prospect, there is a surprise for you: Help a sports organisation to become an EPSI member and receive immediately 5€ cash on the spot 👉 See you in Rimini!

🚀 Innovation will be live at the EPSI stand during RiminiWellness 2026.

Throughout the event, visitors will have the opportunity to discover and test technologies developed by Ondapulsante and Performa — two companies working on the future of sport performance, wellbeing and cognitive training.

🔹 Ondafit IMBODY combines smart resistance, real-time coaching and intelligent training optimisation.

🔹 Performa uses applied neuroscience and immersive technology to make cognitive performance measurable and trainable.

📍 Visit EPSI at the Fitness Innovation Area – Hall B3
📅 May 28th – 31st

Come and experience the future of sport innovation.

Do you recall the second MFF position paper on the relevance of sport in Europe? Published in December 2025, it reached 117 signatories, most of them members of EPSI. Well, it demonstrates one key thing: European sports policies don’t shape themselves. They're shaped by those who engage.

On 11 May, EPSI and ISCA - International Sport and Culture Association host a joint webinar on advocacy in sport at the EU level.

From the fundamentals of EU sport policy to the concrete case on the MFF advocacy, this session will show how coordinated action can influence real decisions.

Speakers:
👉 Antonio Silva (President of European Aquatics)
👉 Laura-Maria Lehiste (Head of Development at ISCA - International Sport and Culture Association)

The webinar is RESERVED only for EPSI & ISCA Members and it's FREE OF CHARGE. Reserve your spot now!

🗓 11th of May, 2026
🕛 12:00 CEST
🔗 d08841ea-37aa-4ab7-931b-31118c76c317@d4c5dbb4-5ede-43db-bdbd-adda8e6479a0" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d08841ea-37aa-4ab7-931b-31118c76c317@d4c5dbb4-5ede-43db-bdbd-adda8e6479a0

Join the discussion and make sport count in Europe. FOR YOU.

Help shape the future of EPSI 🗣️
Your opinion always matters to us. Take part in our member satisfaction survey and help us improve the services, opportunities, and value EPSI delivers to you.

🔗 https://forms.gle/F2iMD4twLfSrBKnP6

We are grateful for your active support to the EPSI community 🧡

Across Europe, women athletes still face a harsh reality: choosing motherhood can mean losing contracts, income, and career continuity. This is not a personal failure, it’s a structural one.

The EU Work Plan for Sport 2024–2027 calls for non‑discrimination, equal conditions, contractual protection, and fair pay, while increasing women’s participation at every level of sport. Yet maternity remains a critical barrier, often unaddressed by sports organizations and federations.

The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025 is equally clear: dismantling gender stereotypes and removing structural barriers in the labour market, including sport, is essential to achieving real equality. Penalising pregnancy or motherhood directly contradicts these objectives.

Despite progress at policy level, implementation remains uneven. Some federations have introduced minimum maternity protections, while others still offer none, leaving women athletes forced to choose between their careers and becoming mothers.

MAMA turns EU policy commitments into action by:
- Promoting maternity‑friendly frameworks
- Challenging discriminatory contractual practices
- Supporting knowledge‑building and capacity‑building across Europe
- Raising awareness to combat stereotypes and create safer, more inclusive sport environments

Motherhood should never be treated as a setback.
It should be protected, supported, and fully compatible with an athletic career.



Parterns: SOMOS PODEROSAS | CSIT | Olympiacos C.F. Piraeus | Social Innovation Sports | Symplexis | European Platform for Sport Innovation (EPSI) | University of | Faculty of Sport of Belgrade | KTG Research & Innovation

If you've been sitting on a business idea, wondering how to find investors or scale up in Europe, but haven't had the right guidance to develop it, this is your moment. And with the EPSI membership, you do it FOR FREE.

We're inviting EPSI members to share their business ideas, however early-stage they are. It can be a market gap you've noticed in the sports field, a service your clients keep asking for, or a concept you've been thinking about but haven't acted on yet.

Here's how it works:
1️⃣ Submit a short Concept Note via the MoZ (Members' only Zone) platform
2️⃣ Francesca Passeri, EPSI Head of Business, reviews it with you
3️⃣ Together, we identify whether and how it can scale in Europe

No pressure. No pitch. Just your idea.

👉 Submit your Business Concept Note through MoZ now (or join EPSI if you are not a member yet!): https://lnkd.in/d3xYHtkJ

Imagine being able to detect muscle fatigue through a simple drop of sweat: biosensors based on sweat analysis are opening new possibilities to monitor athletes in real time and prevent injuries before they happen.

This is exactly the kind of innovation we explored during our talk at GREEnMat (ULiege), part of the University of Liège, in the framework of EPSI visits to members' headquarters all over Europe.

From advanced materials applied to energy, environment and health, GREEnMat is now looking at how its expertise can go further into the sport sector with biosensors for physiological monitoring 💧, surface electromyography for performance analysis 🫀, video analysis in elite sport contexts 📹, and 3D printing applications 👁 .

At EPSI, we see strong potential to connect this expertise with the right partners and projects at the European level. This is why we will support GREEnMat in:

1️⃣ Identifying suitable partners within the network
2️⃣ Positioning your expertise within EU-funded projects (e.g. Horizon Europe)
3️⃣ Facilitating connections with stakeholders in the sport, health and innovation ecosystems

Looking for a collaboration with them? Keep an eye on the CONCEPT NOTES published on our MoZ in the next weeks!

👉 https://member.epsi.eu/dashboard

Shape the future of EPSI 🧡

Your opinion matters. Take part in our member satisfaction survey and help us improve the services, opportunities, and value EPSI delivers to you.

It only takes a few minutes, and it's 100% anonymous.

🔗 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJvWUa-8-GGSIEmTXt-ODTDB_wscrxDzYLPii2NDhQh_j5kg/viewform

In 1967, Kathrine Switzer became the first woman to officially run the Boston Marathon. Despite attempts to physically remove her from the race, she persisted and crossed the finish line, changing the history of women’s sports forever. Her courage reminds us that every step taken by a woman opens doors for many more.

On this 8 March, we honour the global fight for women’s equality, liberation, and the ongoing movement shaping a fairer world for all, even in the sports sector 🌍💜

To make this happen, EPSI joins forces with two impactful EU projects, MAMA and EmpowerHer, to celebrate women’s resilience and the power of sport to transform lives.

✨ MAMA – Mentoring Active Mothers through Awareness empowers women, especially mothers, to embrace physical activity as a pathway to wellbeing, confidence, and inclusion. By promoting sport as a lifestyle accessible to all, MAMA supports the EU’s gender‑equality goals and helps women overcome physical, cultural, and social barriers.

✨ EmpowerHer supports breast cancer survivors by combining personalised physical activity, emotional support, and community connection through an innovative mobile app. This project helps women rebuild confidence, restore strength, and navigate life after treatment with dignity and empowerment.

🔵 As a leading European network for innovation in sport, EPSI is proud to support projects that elevate women’s health, rights, and participation across all levels of sport and society.

Let’s keep advancing equality, on the field, in communities, and across Europe.