Estonian Olympic Committee is launching Team Estonia

16.11.2018
Back
16.11.2018

At the IX Estonian Sports Forum, Estonian Olympic Committee presented plans to establish a new elite sport programme: Team Estonia. The programme aims to improve the competitive position of Estonian elite sport and increase the number of medals won in international championships.

Team Estonia is the joint cooperation project of Estonian Olympic Committee and Estonian Ministry of Culture. In the programme, elite athletes and coaches will be provided with an extended support system and high level conditions and support services will be made available to elite and young athletes. The programme includes Olympic as well as non-Olympic sports and individual as well as team sports. Team Estonia, which launches in 2019 and is planned to reach full scope within five years, will managed by the NOC. 

At the forum held on November 15 at Paide in the heart of Estonia, the NOC also presented proposals on how to promote sports for all and regular physical activity among Estonian children and youth on order to reach the WHO recommendation of 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and to increase healthy life years, including the proposal to all local governments to direct an average of 5% of their annual budget expenditure to support sports activities by the year 2025.  

The opening speech of IX Estonian Sports Forum was delivered by President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid. 

Estonian Sports Forum is organised by Estonian Olympic Committee in four-year-invervals – once in the Olympic cycle. At the previous forum in 2014, Estonian sports policy foundations until 2030 were discussed, and the resulting strategy document was later approved by the Estonian Parliament. The forum, which aims to debate over the key issues in Estonian sports and agree on solutions, is attended by representatives of sports organisations, national government and local governments. The first Estonian Sports Forum took place 99 years ago in 1919.