The project Sports Ambassadors for Rural Areas (SARU) https://www.sportambassadors.eu/en/home  aims at the promotion of outdoor sports in disadvantaged areas, such as for Greece, small islands and mountainous areas of medium and larger islands in Cyclades. It is implemented jointly with sports clubs from Hungary, Slovakia and Italy in disadvantaged areas with different characteristics and its duration is 2 years (2020-2021).

As the official representative of athletics in Cyclades, EAS SEGAS CYCLADESΗ ΕΑΣ has prioritized the promotion of sports with equal access, participation and collective empowerment. For this reason, it takes part in this project which has the following innovative features:

1. It focuses on outdoor sports, an ever-growing trend on a global scale
2. Its design is based on the experiences of sports clubs and local societies
3. Its favors the idea of rural communities, together with all the clubs and the informal groups that are locally active

Its objectives are:

⦁ To collect and systemize knowledge on aspects of planning an outdoor sport event in terms of venue and track planning (collect good practices and quality indicators of organizing outdoor sport events, systemize knowledge and set up common methodology and quality system in the field, share common know-how)

⦁ To transfer systemized knowledge to those disadvantaged rural settlements, who might lack the know-how and resources to organize an event but who are open to learn and be rural sport ambassadors of their local areas

⦁ To set up an action plan with selected ambassadors for their location

The target group of the project are the local population living in rural and island areas in the participating European countries:

Hungary (Coordinator)

Italy (partner)

Greece (partner)

Slovakia (partner)

In Greece, EAS SEGAS CYCLADES has chosen to address islands with rich cultural and environmental resources like Serifos, Ios, Amorgos, Anafi, Folegandros, Kea and the mountainous areas of Naxos and Andros.

The activities that will help us reach our goals are:

⦁ mapping 10 different island areas in Cyclades with respect to their potential for sports events and routes while taking into account the prominence of the cultural heritage and the environmental wealth.

⦁ the creation of a network of interested citizens and agents in the local areas as Sports Ambassadors in their island

⦁ the creation of learning material for the organization of sports routes and events locally with specific criteria as well as the training (both tele- and in physical) of sports ambassadors

⦁ the drawing up of an Action Plan for Outdoor Sports and Leisure for each island

By recognizing the positive macro-economic and social impact of sports and of outdoor sports in particular and active leisure, the project promotes synergies between sports and tourism. It also highlights the importance of sports infrastructure and contributes to the creation of jobs while helping local communities to undertake collective action.

With their mild Mediterranean climate, the unique landscapes and the rich variety of their cultural heritage, Cyclades can become the ideal destination for outdoor sports and active leisure activities. Their promotion can contribute to the sustainable local and regional development, promoting sustainable tourism, differentiating the tourism product and services, and extending the tourism season.

The project is implemented within the Erasmus+ Sport, it follows the euopean priorities for sports, such as the increase in youth participation in sports and the increase in physical activity in general, thus proving the added value of sports.

Find out more about SARU and its activities at the official website https://www.sportambassadors.eu/en/home and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Sport-AmbassadorsSARU-101390558187835.