Skaneidrotten visited HAN: Mini Symposium and more

The 29th and 30th of August 2019 colleagues of the Skaneidrotten Sport from Sweden visited the HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem, The Netherlands. In autumn 2018 the HAN was the host of the ENdAS meeting which takes place twice a year. During this meeting a mini symposium was organized in which the HAN and partners presented about several topics related to sport, exercise and health. Peter Tallinger was enthusiast about all the presentations and ask if it was possible to come with his team from Sweden to The Netherlands.

The HAN was privileged and organized a meeting for the Swedish quests. A group of about 40 Swedish professionals working for the Skaneidrotten Sport in South-West Sweden came to Arnhem. They stayed in a hotel at Papendal, the Dutch Olympic Training Centre. Sebastiaan Platvoet, team leader of the expert group Sport & Talent, part of the HAN Sport & Exercise Studies, welcomed them at the 29th of August showed the colleagues Papendal (with over 150 full time talented and elite athletes, from sports like handball, table tennis, BMX, volleyball, archery) and talked about the Dutch sport system. Afterwards we had a delicious diner at the hotel.

The morning of the 30th the HAN organized a mini symposium for the Swedish quests. We started with a short movie of the research group Health promotion and performance. This team focused the latest year on children on lower vocational level and ways to stimulate these children to become more physical active. Accordingly, Jasper van Houten presented about the influence of big life events (like birth of children) on persons sport participation.

Martijn Kamper spoke about the economic value of sport events. Martijn and colleagues developed a tool with which directly the economic value of for example the KLM Golf Open or the start of the Giro d’Italia was measured. Jan Willem Teunissen and Sebastiaan Platvoet explained how the research group Sport & Talent works on projects to 1) monitor children’s fundamental movement skills (with a web application), and 2) programs that stimulate 6-12 year old children to learn and improve their motor skills.

Last, Gudo Kramer of Topsport Gelderland talked about the organization of the Dutch sport system, the way talented athletes are supported in The Netherlands, and the way sport in The Netherlands is financed. These presentations resulted in fruitful and interesting discussions. After a wonderful lunch the Swedish quests went home with the bus. But not after that we agreed that international collaboration is important, that we can learn from each other and that in 2020 the HAN will visit Skaneidrotten.