Ireland will take centre stage in European sports participation this afternoon as the official opening ceremony for European Week of Sport 2026 takes place at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena.
The event will bring together representatives of the European Commission, the Irish Government, and Sport Ireland, alongside international guests and participants, to formally open the 12th edition of the Europe-wide #BeActive campaign.
It carries additional significance this year with Ireland holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
European Week of Sport has grown substantially since the European Commission established it in 2015. More than 18 million people have taken part in over 433,000 activities across 42 countries during its first 11 years.
The 2026 campaign runs from September 23rd to 30th under the theme #BeActive. Your Way, to encourage more people to incorporate sport and physical activity into their everyday lives.
Ireland will stage more than 500 registered events across every county during the week.
Sport Ireland has introduced a new interactive event map to make opportunities easier to find, allowing searches by county, activity type and target audience.
This year, there is a particular focus on young people aged 16 to 26, alongside programmes aimed at schools, workplaces, older adults, women and girls, people with disabilities, and migrant and new communities.
The Sport Ireland Campus will itself become one of the principal participation hubs.
More than 150 free activities are being offered through a week-long #BeActive Open Week, giving people the chance to try everything from gymnastics, tennis and beach volleyball to climbing, archery, laser shooting and scuba diving.
More than 400 primary schools will participate in European School Sports Day on Friday, committing to 120 minutes of physical activity.
Saturday’s #BeActive Night will then take the campaign into communities around the country through Ireland’s eight Active Cities and Donegal Local Sports Partnership.
Events will range from a Glow Run in South Dublin and StepFest at TU Dublin Grangegorman to activities in Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick, Fingal and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
There is also a deliberate attempt to create pathways for communities traditionally less likely to participate in organised sport.
A Sport for All Community Connection Event will bring together Sport Ireland, Active South Dublin, Sanctuary Runners, the International Organisation for Migration, the Irish Centre for Diversity, SARI and other organisations to provide opportunities for people living in IPAS centres and those with refugee status to try sport and connect with local clubs afterwards.
Third-level campuses are another focus, with Student Sport Ireland activators delivering participation events across universities and technological universities during the week.
Sport for Business Perspective
Participation has traditionally been delivered through multiple Local Sports Partnerships, National Governing Bodies, clubs and community organisations.
For the person simply wondering what they can do close to home, navigating that landscape has not always been straightforward.
Making opportunities easier to discover lowers a key barrier to participation.
Ireland’s EU Presidency gives today’s opening international profile and provides an opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of the country’s sporting infrastructure.
The stronger legacy, though, will be a participation campaign that shows not merely how many people it reached during one week in September, but how many it helped become more active for the rest of the year.
Sport Ireland, Ireland Active, Active South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport and Dublin City Council are full members of Sport for Business. Dublin City Council are the official partners of our Community Sport Coverage.
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Image Credit: European Week of Sport
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