The final event of the Athletes Speakers project, “Empowering Athletes to find their voice in the transition beyond sport,” was held at the Centro Cultural de Cascais on the 28th of November 2024.
Besides presenting the project to a wider audience, the event provided a platform for athletes to learn about and discuss the challenges and opportunities they face when transitioning to a career beyond sport, with a special focus on their communication skills
The afternoon opened with remarks from Rui Vieira, the Director of SEA, and Silvija Mitevska from the Olympic Committee of North Macedonia. Francisco Kreye, represented the Municipality of Cascais. Attendees heard a keynote speech titled “How Communication Opened Doors for Post-Sports Careers” from the Olympian Pedro Dias. Next, a panel discussed “Empowering Athletes: Shaping Leadership, Soft Skills, and Digital Futures”. Panellists included Alexandre Mestre, the Former Portuguese Secretary of State for Sport and Youth; Paulo Rossas from the Lisbon Digital School; and Inês Caetano, Director of the Sport Embassy. The panel was moderated by Nuno Dias, journalist and former karateka.
Attendees learned about the Athletes Speakers Project from Sara Glogovac, from the Olympic Committee of North Macedonia. Carla Rocha, the author of the Athletes Speakes online course, presented the learning programme, and was followed by a roundtable with European athletes who shared their experience with the course, on a discussion moderated by Zuzana Tomcikova from the Slovak Olympic and Sports Committee.
The last session of the conference was a round table discussion focusing on the “Challenges and Perspectives for Athletes in Career Transition.” This section was moderated by Dr. Marcos López-Flores, and panellists included Olympic athlete Sandrine Billiet, former futsal player, Sergio Alonso, and four-time Paralympic athlete and Vice President of the Portuguese Paralympic Committee, Leila Marques.
The event concluded with closing remarks and a cocktail networking event which facilitated connections and fostered a sense of community among athletes and those supporting them in their transition.