A new debate opened in Kaunas on how much sport is worth to society, health and the economy
The Olympic Forum of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee was held in Kaunas on 15 May 2026, an event that continues the decade-long tradition of the Olympic Education Forum and that this year focused more strongly on the question of how sport affects the economy, public health, education and athletes' life decisions. According to the announcement by the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee, the forum was held in the President Valdas Adamkus Athletics Arena and brought together Olympians, Paralympians, coaches, teachers and experts from the fields of health care and education. The organizers emphasized that sport cannot be viewed exclusively through medals and results, but also through the habits created in the family, school, local community and public policies.
From an education forum to a broader debate on the value of sport
The Lithuanian National Olympic Committee states that the Olympic Education Forum was launched in 2015 as a one-day event for discussion of new directions in Olympism, education and sport. In the new format, presented in Kaunas, the emphasis was expanded to the social and economic value of sport, which corresponds to the increasingly common approach of European institutions according to which sport is not a separate niche, but part of public health, education, the labour market and local development. According to data from Eurostat and the European Commission, sport in the European Union is increasingly viewed through satellite accounts and other statistical models that seek to capture its direct and indirect contribution to gross domestic product, employment and the creation of added value. Such a framework was also important in Kaunas, where participants discussed who should invest in sport, how the return on such investments is measured and why the consequences of inactivity are often seen only later, through higher costs for the health system and weaker inclusion of citizens.
Sport as a habit, not an occasional project
The first major discussion at the forum carried the message that sport should become part of everyday life. The president of the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee and Olympic champion Daina Gudzinevičiūtė emphasized, according to LTOK, that sport should not be valued only through medals and competitive results, but through society's broader relationship with movement. She warned that circumstances had changed: earlier, in her words, it was difficult to call children in from the yard, while today it is difficult to motivate many children to go outside at all. In the discussion, Iceland was mentioned as an example, where the state, faced with problems among young people, more strongly included physical activity and sport in preventive policies. Gudzinevičiūtė also stressed that it is not enough for Lithuania to copy someone else's model, but that it needs its own strategic approach, with clear priorities and better use of sports ambassadors who, by their example, can influence children and young people.
The adviser to Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, Povilas Saulevičius, said at the forum, according to the LTOK announcement, that sport and physical activity must be a topic for all political actors because they are connected with the welfare of the state. According to him, physical activity in Lithuania is one of the priority topics, and this year projects are being launched to improve sports infrastructure in municipalities. However, he warned that infrastructure by itself is not enough unless the desire and habit of citizens to move regularly are created. As a direction in which Lithuania could think, he cited the Swedish model, in which physical activity is more strongly integrated into school, the educational process, the work of local authorities and state policy. Saulevičius also announced changes to the legal framework on sport and the Sports Council, with the aim of a different financing system from next year, and stated that the state had undertaken the obligation to increase coaches' salaries by 30 percent.
Public health and physical literacy at the centre of the debate
The health context of the debate in Kaunas is also confirmed by international data. The World Health Organization states that regular physical activity in children and adolescents supports cognitive development, motor skills, self-confidence, social integration, bone and muscle health, school success and general well-being. In adults, according to the WHO, physical activity contributes to the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain forms of cancer. The Special Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity showed that 45 percent of respondents in the European Union in 2022 said they never exercise or play sport, while 38 percent stated that they do so at least once a week. These data explain why discussions about sport are increasingly moving from the framework of competition into the area of public health and prevention.
Cardiologist Pranas Šerpytis said in Kaunas, according to the LTOK report, that everything begins with the small social cell, that is, with the community. He emphasized that Valdas Adamkus, after whom the athletics arena in which the forum was held is named, had always been connected with sport and physical activity, so such a space also has symbolic value. Šerpytis warned that more space is needed for activities and teaching connected with movement, especially if the goal is to shape a personality without harmful habits. He described physical activity as a habit that should be as natural as brushing one's teeth, and added that more active children often achieve better learning results. His message that a healthy society creates a better state was one of the links between the medical, educational and sports parts of the forum.
Kaunas District presented as an example of local policy
In the discussion, Kaunas District, which was declared the sportiest municipality, was highlighted as a positive example. Mayor Valerijus Makūnas said, according to LTOK, that sports halls, stadiums, swimming pools and cycling paths are not a luxury, but a necessity. He stated that three percent is allocated to sport every year in the budget of that local unit, not counting additional programmes and the contribution of the business sector. Makūnas said that an environment for movement must be built as close as possible to residents because the habit of doing sport develops when there is an accessible offer. A new initiative in Kaunas District was also presented, aimed at the prevention of harmful habits through sport, within which, in cooperation with kinesiotherapists and sports and IT experts, the posture, excessive body weight and physical fitness of 5,000 pupils would be monitored, and parents would receive recommendations based on processed data.
The economic value of sport is an increasingly important topic
The discussions in Kaunas fit into a broader European trend of measuring sport as an economic sector. Eurostat published an overview of the impact of sport in the European Union in September 2024, and the European Commission and Eurostat in more recent analyses emphasize the need for comparable sport satellite accounts that can show direct and indirect effects on GDP, employment and added value. An older European Commission study on the economic impact of sport through satellite accounts stated that sport in the EU in 2012 was connected with EUR 279.7 billion of GDP, or 2.12 percent of total GDP, and with 5.67 million employed people, which represented 2.72 percent of employment. Newer European approaches further emphasize that sport creates value not only in clubs and competitions, but also in education, trade, tourism, media, equipment, health services and public infrastructure. For this reason, investment in sport is increasingly interpreted as a long-term development policy, and not only as a budgetary cost.
The athlete as a brand, but also as a person who needs a support system
One of the discussions at the forum was devoted to sport as a brand, from management to the public face of the athlete. Lithuanian athlete Diana Zagainova said, according to LTOK, that results remain the basis of visibility, but that the athlete's personality, communication, management and ability to create relationships with fans and business partners play an increasingly important role. As an athlete who cooperates with Puma, Zagainova emphasized that partnerships are not built only on victories, but also on alignment of values, consistent work, public appearances, planning and understanding communication channels. The president of the Lithuanian Football Federation, Edgaras Stankevičius, emphasized in the same discussion that sports organizations need trust, joint work and the ability to connect federations, local communities, the state and the business sector. The rector of the Lithuanian Sports University, Diana Rėklaitienė, warned that Lithuania lacks sports managers who understand several areas and that sport is still not viewed clearly enough as an investment by the state and the economy.
That discussion also touched on the issue of sponsorships. Marius Horbačauskas, the head of the company Volfas Engelman, which supports LTOK and other sports organizations, said according to the organizers' report that a company that wants to operate successfully and in the long term must be an active part of society. According to him, talent, ambition, management, infrastructure and the attitude of the state form an environment in which athletes and sports projects can develop. Such a view shows that much more is often expected from athletes today than performances in the arena: they must be communicators, role models, promoters of healthy habits and partners of organizations that see credibility in them. At the same time, the messages from the forum indicate that athletes cannot carry that burden alone without systematic support from education, management, the local community and public policies.
The experiences of Olympians and Paralympians as a lesson for younger generations
An important part of the forum was devoted to athletes' personal stories. Skater Saulius Ambrulevičius, who travelled from Canada because of his participation in the forum, spoke about the road to sporting success, about training sessions in Kaunas, Elektrėnai and on the ice of the Akropolis shopping centre, and about how sport shaped him as a person. According to LTOK, Ambrulevičius emphasized that sport helped him feel strong and healthy, while the knowledge gained through experience and university today enables him to help younger people. He also spoke about the psychological pressure in figure skating, the importance of mental preparation and the moments when he thought about ending his career. After a turning point in his career and moving abroad, Ambrulevičius won bronze with Allison Reed at the European Championship and achieved an Olympic appearance, which was presented at the forum as an example of perseverance and adaptation.
The greatest ovation, according to LTOK, was received by Paralympian and world championship medallist Oksana Dobrovolskaja. In a presentation under the message "1 percent vision and 100 percent faith – my path to victories", she spoke about growing up with weakening eyesight, the feeling of exclusion at school, the struggle with shame because of using a white cane and the path that led her to discus throwing. She said that after the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, where she achieved a result of 29.30 metres, she was close to giving up sport, but that she returned and later won bronze at the world championship. Her message that the greatest battle is often not fought against others but against oneself strongly connected with the theme of the forum: sport is not only a system of results, but a space in which independence, resilience, self-confidence and the inclusion of persons with disabilities are developed.
The first "Čempionė" and the question of equality in sport
The first laureate of the "Čempionė" project, carried out by the Gender Equality Commission at LTOK, was also presented at the forum. According to the organizers, the recognition is intended for a woman who, through personal example, professional work and initiatives, contributes to gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness in sport. The first recipient was Vita Vitkutė-Degutienė, whose national initiative "Minam100" included a large number of children and families in cycling. Among the finalists were also field hockey expert Joana Gaidamavičienė, wrestling representative Indrė Bubelytė, orienteering enthusiast Gabija Ražaitytė and member of the sailing community Indrė Žičkuvienė. This part of the programme showed that the discussion about sport in Lithuania is increasingly connected with questions of visibility, equal opportunities and the removal of obstacles that make it difficult for women and girls to participate in sports communities.
A second career must be planned while the sports career is still ongoing
The final discussion of the forum dealt with the question of what follows after the end of a professional career. Olympic medallist in athletics Austra Skujytė said, according to LTOK, that she ended her career in 2017 after problems with her Achilles tendon and that the transition to coaching was not difficult for her because people from her surroundings quickly encouraged her in that direction. Rower Mindaugas Griškonis, Olympic runner-up from Rio de Janeiro, current secretary general of LTOK and president of the Lithuanian Rowing Federation, said that he had been thinking about a second career already 15 years before the end of his sporting path and that he founded a transport company while still during his career. Former national basketball team player Mantas Kalnietis recalled his last season at Kaunas Žalgiris and explained that injuries led him to the decision to stop playing, after which he turned to work at the Kauno Žalgiris football club.
The participants agreed, according to LTOK, that athletes should think about life after their career while they are still actively competing. They particularly emphasized the importance of education, because a sports career often ends earlier than the athlete expects, whether because of injury, a change in motivation, financial circumstances or competitive pressure. The message from Kaunas was therefore not addressed only to institutions, but also to young athletes, parents and coaches: a top result can open doors, but long-term security requires knowledge, skills and contacts that go beyond the field, track, ice or hall. In that sense, the Olympic Forum showed that the future of sport cannot be planned separately from education, health care, the economy and local policy, because it is precisely at these intersections that the social value of sport arises.
Sources:
- Lithuanian National Olympic Committee – report on the Olympic Forum in Kaunas, discussions, participants and statements by athletes and officials (link)
- Lithuanian National Olympic Committee – description of the Olympic Education Forum, its duration, goals and role in Olympic education (link)
- Lithuanian National Olympic Committee – overview of Olympic education, programmes and goals connected with children, young people, schools and physical literacy (link)
- World Health Organization – information on the health benefits of regular physical activity for children, adolescents and adults (link)
- European Commission Eurobarometer – results of the survey on sport and physical activity in the European Union from 2022 (link)
- European Commission and Eurostat – data and methodological framework for assessing the economic value of sport in the European Union through sport satellite accounts (link)
- Publications Office of the European Union – study on the economic impact of sport through satellite accounts, including data on GDP and employment in the EU (link)