The European Association for Sociology of Sport (EASS) conference (EASS2023 Budapest) held by the Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUSS) between 30 May and 2 June welcomed120 PhD students from 50 European universities.
The four-day event was titled “Transitioning sport – Transitioning European societies” andit was held in the beautiful Hungarian capital, Budapest. The bid for hosting the conference was won by HUSS several years ago, however, due to delays caused by the pandemic, it took place a few years later.
Our university's role was not only to host one of the largest and most prestigious gatherings of the European and global social science community. Dr Szilvia Perényi, Associate Professor of the Department of Sport Management at HUSS, member of the EASS Extended Board, conference chair and organiser of the event, was also a member of the board.
Other HUSS teachers also participated in the event. Dr Tamás Dóczi, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Sciences, Professor Ákos Koller, Chair of the Scientific Council, and other HUSS faculty members who were present as speakers at the event also took part. We are particularly proud that one of the founding members of the European Association for Sociology of Sport, Professor Emerita Gyöngyi Földesiné Szabó, retired lecturer of the Department of Social Sciences of HUSS, was elected Honorary Member of the EASS by the EASS Presidency.
The first day kicked off with a roundtable discussion entitled "New trends and practices of publishing in scientific journals” chaired by Dr Tamás Dóczi, Associate Professor of the Department of Social Sciences. Participants of the discussion included Monika Piątkowska (Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research, PCSSR), Adam B. Evans (European Journal of Sports Science, EJSS) and Professor Ákos Koller, Professor Emeritus of HUSS, representing Sport Research International (Sprint, formerly TST).
The second and third day of the event was dominated by sessions and plenary sessions. In terms of numbers, the EASS2023 Budapest conference was also a huge success with a very strong international interest. A total of 120 researchers and PhD students from more than 50 different European higher education institutions attended the four-day event. The richness of the event's programme was demonstrated by the fact that there were more than 100 presentations in 32 parallel sessions.
The conference also featured two keynote presentations. Dunja Antunovic, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, presented "What is Still "New" about Social Media? The Importance of Sociology of Sport in Research on Mediatization", while Andrea Petroczi, an expert from Kingston University London, gave a presentation on "What do we know about (the wicked problem of) doping in sport?".
There were plenty of session presentations left for the last day, but the real surprise came at the end of the day. In the closing programme, followed a message by HUSS Rector Professor Tamás Sterbenz, the Young Research Award (YRA) was presented at the session chaired by Hanna Vehmas, President of the EASS. The one-year YASS subscription and a €500 prize was awarded to Federico Genovesi, a PhD student at the University of Ulster (UK) for his research entitled "Spaces of Football and Belonging in Italy: People Seeking Asylum's Resistance of Liminality Through Involvement in Solidarity Grassroots Football". Kristina Orszaghova from Charles University in Pragu received a Certificate of Merit for her entry "Listening to Boxing Hearts and Beats: Analysing Boxing (Through) Soundscapes".
Finally, let's not forget the wonderful supplementary programmes including Tuesday’s walk to the Castle, the Hungarian dance evening at the National Dance Theatre, the Duna Arena and National Athletics Centre sports facility tours, the sightseeing and wine tasting excursion in Szentendre, the walking tour around the Parliament, St. Stephen's Basilica and Heroes' Square or the closing dinner with music and dance at the conference.
"The participants of the event were delighted to visit Budapest and left the venue with a big smile at the end hoping that this scientific research community will grow stronger and meet again at the 2024 conference in Madrid", said Hanna Vehmas, the new President of EASS.
The main patrons of the event were HUSS Rector Tamás Sterbenz and Gábor Géczi, the Director of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences and the Head of the Department of Sport Management.
The programme of the conference in English can be downloaded here.
Photo by Máté Csortos
