KICK-OFF MEETING | 2026 ASPC EUROPEAN FORUM ON ELITE SPORT

The kick-off meeting for the organisation of the 2026 ASPC European Forum on Elite Sport took place at January 7th, 2026 in Rio Maior, formally launching the preparatory work for the ASPC EUROPE Continental Congress, which will be held in Portugal for the first time.

The meeting was attended by Pedro Dias, Secretary of State for Sport, accompanied by Duarte Lopes, Chief of Staff, as well as Ricardo Gonçalves, President of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ), and Carla Silva, Member of the IPDJ Board. Also present were Susana Feitor, Chair of the Board of the Sports Foundation; Lopes Candoso, Deputy Mayor of Rio Maior; Miguel Pacheco, Chair of the Board of DESMOR; and Hugo Dinis, Marketing Director of DESMOR.

This meeting made it possible to align the strategic vision, objectives and next steps for the organisation of a congress that, in 2026, will bring together in Rio Maior leaders and representatives of Europe's main High Performance Centres, strengthening the positioning of Portugal and Rio Maior as a centre of excellence within the European high-performance sport landscape.

This event is jointly organised by the Rio Maior Sports Centre and the Sports Foundation, with the support of the Secretariat of State for Sport, the IPDJ – Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth, I.P., Tourism of Alentejo and Ribatejo, and the Municipality of Rio Maior.