EA President Silva highlights key Safe Swim Europe initiative at EU Sport Forum 2025 in Kraków
European Aquatics President Antonio Silva was a keynote speaker at the EU Sport Forum 2025 held recently in the Polish city of Kraków, highlighting the vital importance of his federation’s Swim Safe Europe initiative.
His contribution focused on the role of sport in education, taking in the question of how sport can be more effectively integrated into educational environments in order to make a positive impact on mental health and the development of skills in children and young people.
Accompanied by Otylia Jędrzejczak, President of the Polish Swimming Federation, President Silva emphasised the importance of including learn-to-swim and aquatic skills programmes in the school curriculum.
He explained how European Aquatics has been implementing its Swim Safe Europe programme throughout the continent.
And he stressed that this initiative is aimed not only at promoting physical activity and sports among young people but, most importantly, at providing an essential survival skill and a preventative measure against drowning.
This effort, he added, relies on co-operation with national federations, governments across various countries and other key partners.
President Silva was also involved in parallel meetings with the newly re-elected President of the European Olympic Committee, Spyros Capralos, and the chair of the Special Olympics, aimed at improving the overall alignment of the European Aquatics Strategic Action Plan for 2025/2026.
Other topics at the European Commission’s flagship annual event included the promotion of a European Model of Sport, artificial intelligence in sport and athlete well-being.
The Forum regularly brings together representatives from European institutions, international sports federations, Olympic committees, national sports ministries, grassroots organisations, athletes, and volunteers, with the aim of shaping the future of sports policies in Europe.
The importance of this year’s gathering was underlined by the presence of Glenn Micallef, the European Commissioner for Intergenerational Equity, Youth, Culture and Sport.
Mike Rowbottom for European Aquatics
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