News
Weiterentwicklung des S4D Resource Toolkits in Kooperation mit dem S4D Netzwerk Deutschland e.V.
Seit Dezember 2025 kooperiert das Institut mit dem S4D Netzwerk Deutschland e.V., um mit Hilfe des S4D Resource Toolkis die Qualität, Sichtbarkeit und Wirkung von Sport-for-Development-Maßnahmen weiter zu stärken.
more
IESF in EU Parliament, Brussels, contributing to future Erasmus+ Sport Programme
Upon invitation by MEP and Rapporteur Bogdan Zdrojewski, Lorenz Fiege contributed to the shadow meeting on establishing the Erasmus+ Sport Programme for the period 2028 until 2034 in the European Parliament.
more
"High-level Lectures" on International Sports Politics | 28.01.2026
We cordially invite you to attend the inaugural lecture by Prof. Dr. Karen Petry and the guest lecture by Folker Hellmund (former Head of the EOC EU Office in Brussels) on the topic of “Sports Policy at the European and International Level,” beginning at 4 p.m.
more
Final Conference of Erasmus+ SOPROS-Project in European Parliament
Final Conference of the SOPROS Project on December 9, 2025, in Brussels: Setting the course for the social protection of athletes in Europe.
more
SOPROS Final Conference, 9 December 2025, European Parliament Offices
Over the past three years, the SOPROS project has analysed and compared the state of social protection for elite athletes in five European countries.
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