“Sport and Nature” was the title chosen for the 2016 Summer School organized by Sportmeet which gathered sport players from around the world to reflect on the environmental crisis and the specific contribution that sport could make to developing an authentic ecological conscience. Sport holds a great potential for creating friendship among peoples and with the Creation. It also has important educational value when practiced in the name of altruism and reciprocity. Eighty-three people attended the summer school: players at a variety of levels, ages and disciplines, leaders, physical education teachers and professional trainers, as well as others involved in sport as recreation. Paolo Cipolli, international coordinator of Sportmeet, presented the past and present history of the project. His presented had been preceded by numerous greetings from the public authorities who were present including Vice-Mayor Križevci Tomislav Katanović, Vice-President of the City Councill and ex-federal handball instructor, Ivan Pal, Deputy Minister off Science, Training and Sport, Hrvoje Šlezak from the Swiss Embassy in Croatia, Stefan Estermann, Second Secretary to the Italian Ambassador in Croatia whose greetings were given by Anna Lisa Gasparini and Zdenko Horvat. During the three-day course experts and instructors offered their reflections on the theme: “Sport and Nature: A Discovery, Resource and Challenge”. Andrea Ceciliani from the University of Bologna offered an exciting hand-on workshop. Mirna Andrijasević from Zagabria University presented “Sport in Nature: A Lifestyle.” Ivan Prskalo from Zagabria University presented Ecology and Chinesiology in Križevci presented an entertaining hands-on workshop on traditional Croatian games. Andrea Ceciliani from University of Bologna presented “Outdoor Education” showing how to hold school in the open, which was accompanied by a lively hands-on workshop. There were also school trips to Mount Kalnik and to Lake Čabraj along with an evening for sharing best practices with the Sportmeet Network, which included a telephone link-up with Rio de Janeiro and Belgrade. The last day began with a video conference that had been held by Focolare foundress Chiara Lubich at the United Nations in 1986 on the theme of Fraternity Among People and Nations. This was followed by a long and lively discussion with all the participants, and it helped design the plans for the upcoming Summer School in Barcelona, Spain, June 2017. Source: Sportmeet online

See also: Sportmeet in the Balkans: When Sports Unites