The World Ethnosport Association will host a large-scale forum in St. Petersburg from April 18-20, 2025, with the aim of shaping the future of traditional sports and preserving cultural heritage. This globally significant event will serve as a platform for taking critical steps toward the sustainability of ethnosports within the framework of the principals of tradition, respect, solidarity, and peace.
Strategic Steps Toward the Reviving of Traditional Sports
During the forum, various panels will be organized under the theme “Reviving Traditional Sports”. Experts, including academicians, union representatives, and researchers, will discuss topics such as the potential for international cooperation in traditional sports, financial sustainability, and media strategies. Furthermore, solutions for expanding traditional sports and game awards and reaching a wider audience will be explored.
Global Participation on a Wide Scale
Representatives from 39 institutional members of the World Ethnosport Union across countries such as Kazakhstan, Japan, Mexico, Qatar, Mongolia, Argentina, Turkey, Tunisia, Poland, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Russia, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Hungary, and Uzbekistan will participate in the forum. Additionally, more than 10 government ministers, state officials from 75 different countries, union representatives, academicians, and researchers specializing in traditional sports will attend.
Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan to Address Participants at the Forum Opening
The 7th Ethnosport Forum will open with a speech by the President of the World Ethnosport Association, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan. Following the opening remarks, the forum will officially begin with the Ministers' Panel, where high-ranking government officials will gather. Over the course of two days, the forum will host sessions, panels, and strategic meetings that will shed light on the future of traditional sports.
World Ethnosport Association Continues to Preserve Cultural Heritage
Since its establishment, the World Ethnosport Union has remained committed to preserving the deep-rooted identity of traditional sports and games, fostering intercultural interaction, and expanding their global recognition. Driven by respect for humanity’s shared values, the association aims to refresh societal memory through traditional sports and games while ensuring that this cultural heritage is passed on to future generations. The 7th Ethnosport Forum will serve as a critical platform for determining short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for the future of traditional sports.
