News
Panel Discussion at the Charlemagne Prize Ceremony in Aachen on April 23, 2026
“Is taking part all that matters? – Does sport unite Europe?” Alongside other prominent guests, Prof. Mittag will discuss the topic of “sports policy” on Thursday evening in Aachen as part of the series of events surrounding the 2026 Charlemagne Prize ceremony.
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Toolkit for Advocacy in Sports and Society
How can S4D organizations have a real impact on policy decisions in addition to the important work they do in their S4D programs? The new toolkit from the PASS project provides practical guidance on how even smaller NGOs can effectively advocate for their policy interests.
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Erstmaliger Förderfinder für Spitzensportler/innen online!
Der Förderfinder für Kaderathletinnen und -athleten ist ab sofort online und bietet erstmals eine zentrale, systematische Übersicht über Maßnahmen der individuellen Athletenförderung in Deutschland.
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FIFA World Cup 2026 and Politics
In cooperation with the University of Münster and the German Football Museum, we invite everyone interested in sports and politics to an exciting conference in Dortmund on June 10, 2026.
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„Trendsportarten: Chancen und Herausforderungen für den Sport in Deutschland“
Prof. Mittag äußert sich heute um 14:30 Uhr im Ausschuss Sport und Ehrenamt des Deutschen Bundestags. Die Sitzung wird im Parlamentsfernsehen übertragen und zeitversetzt in der Mediathek zur Verfügung stehen.
moreWelcome!
Due to the ever increasing integration of sport with other social areas and actors, due to the ever increasing influence of political actors in particular on the shaping of sport and its framework conditions, as well as due to increasing Europeanization and globalization, the field of action of sports policy has become decisively more important.
The Institute for European Sports Development and Leisure Research provides the framework for the sports policy and leisure research activities of the German Sport University Cologne. In conjunction with cooperation partners, political, social and sports science findings are brought together in such a way that a distinct core of sports policy thinking becomes visible. The team of the institute offers students, scientists and all other interested parties numerous offers in teaching and research.
The focus is on the topics of "sports policy," "sports and development cooperation," and "leisure and tourism research". The Institute and its Jean Monnet Chair devote special attention to the European dimension of sport. The Institute is also home to the "Forum Sportpolitik" and hosts the annual symposia on sports policy. Since the beginning of 2024, the UNESCO Chair “Sport for Development, Peace and Environment in a Multidisciplinary and Global Perspective” has also been affiliated with us.
Since the winter semester in 2016/17, the IESF has also been coordinating the master's program "International Sport Development and Politics". The program is science-oriented and aims as much at problem-solving skills as at methods for understanding and analyzing sport. The master's program combines the expertise available at the University of Sport in the fields of social sciences, economics and the humanities. The Master "International Sport Development and Politics" consists of 13 modules and concludes with a Master's thesis.
Based on this website, the Institute of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies would like to provide information on its activitites, but also encourage to get in contact with us. We are looking forward to a constructive dialogue.
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mittag / Prof. Dr. Karen Petry