Ervin Lemark, representing Association of sports societies Črnuče is one of the most significant experts of ZŠDČ. In his professional career as an IT expert in the field of sports, he was active, for example, at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sports, and at the Slovenian Sports Office. Throughout his work he has been pursuing the synergy between sports and IT. The products which were spawned out of his efforts, were first national level calendars of sports programmes and sports events in Slovenia. While working at the Slovenian Sports Office he established a platform for the internet presence of sports societies and federations. He also managed the websites for sports for all participation and helped establish the system for top sports at the Olympic Committee of Slovenia.

Ervin Lemark was or is a member of the following organizations during his work in the field of Sports and IT:

• Sports for all board at the Olympic Committee of Slovenia,
• Rankings Committee at the European table Tennis Association,
• Executive committee of the IASI, International Association for Sports Information,
• SIOnet, Sports Information Officers Network of the Council of Europe member states,
• SIOUG, Slovenian Oracle Users Group,
• DSI, Slovenian IT Experts Association.

As a member of these organisations, he has participated at many meetings, seminars, conferences and congresses. He was an active participant at most of them as a speaker, presenter or seminar leader. For example, at the IASI congress in the year 2001 in Lausanne, Switzerland, when the congress was hosted by the International Olympic Committee.

In the last period, he has dedicated his professional career to development of systems for social transfers and support for the scholarships grants and management on a national level. While working with development teams he is pursuing the way of agile management and development encouraging the team members to further their skills through agile mindset and achieve personal growth and safety through values like transparency, trust, respect, efficiency, and team spirit. Very much alike the values we are all trying to bring to youth involved in sports and education.

From the IT point of view, in the recent years he has been searching for another synergy with the DLT, Distributed Ledger Technology a.k.a. blockchain. The idea being that DLT provides thrustless transparency of the content stored on such a platform, distributed and decentralized transactions, and non-biased governance by dPOS, distributed Proof of Stake. In short, an ideal platform for distributed, community governed, censorship and deletion resistant content of any kind. Including the field of sports and education.

In private life, he is an outdoors afficionado and a recreational runner. In this capacity he is also a head of the running section of the ZDŠČ. He has run multiple marathons and ultramarathons. In the year 2002 he has established an Internet platform called Runners Forum Slovenia. At the time, before commercial websites gained advantage, this Forum was the biggest online community for running and other recreational activities. The website is still very much alive and is providing a place for runners to stay in touch, exchange their thoughts and cooperate.

As a founder of the Forum, he was also a president of a real-life sports society to support the events organised by the Runners Forum. Most of these running events were non-competitive and for-charity events.

He was also a founding members and a vice president of the Slovenian sports for all federation.

In all his activities in professional and personal life he is trying to bridge and uplift sports and technology, real and virtual life, being together in nature and staying in touch over social media platforms, youth sports and education. His moto is doing things together in a transparent and efficient manner for everybody involved to benefit from.

Ervin Lemark was a leading capacity for Association of sports societies Črnuče (Slovenia). He led expertise in the field of sport non-governmental sector and European policies relevant to the project.

Alongside with project applicant/coordinator, he was in charge of preparation of a possible follow up in terms of the Pierre de Coubertin Action Plan. In order to do so, he was responsible for developing ideas about labelling schools “In the spirit of Pierre de Coubertin - EU sport friendly school” and sport clubs labelling similarly “In the spirit of Pierre de Coubertin - EU education friendly sport club”. Introducing a possible scheme how to award a European label to schools actively supporting physical activities in accordance with Action Plan "Pierre de Coubertin" was the greatest challenge of this application to deal with. In addition, throughout his work in his project, he was pursuing the synergy between sports and IT.

Christian Thibault Liikkukaa! – Sports For All (Finland) is currently Chairman at Helsinki Diplomat Sports and CEO of Liikkukaa! – Sports For All. He has been involved during 35 years in Vihernurkka, being both owner and managing director, running and directing the operative department of a Finnish Gardening Enterprise, which at times has been one of the three largest in the country. He was Chairman of RASMUS from 2012 till 2015. He achieved his bachelor’s degree at University of Northhampton, studied business administration and management at HELBS Helsinki School of Business.

Mr Thibault possess vast volunteer experience, for instance he was supporting Finnish Sports development aid as a member of Likes ry founding board, supporting Helsinki Deaconess Institute in founding HR09 by serving as board member. He was member of Tolerance / Equality Committee at the Finish Sports Federation, Chairman of Youth Integration Committee at the Municipality of Espoo, and member of Working group of ETNO national advisory board. Within Finnish Football Federation, he was member of steering group of the Project Against Racism.

Mr Thibault was awarded by national cross of honour for cultural contributions through sports. His sports background is linked to football coaching and has multiple experience in European policies in the field of sport. He participated in numerous international projects, including those funded from Erasmus + Programme. He has endorsed skills in social media, public relations and public speaking, he speaks five languages: Finnish, English, German, Latin and Swedish.

He was leading capacity for Liikkukaa! – Sports For All (Finland) as project partner. He lead expertise on behalf of Finland in the field of sport and European policies relevant to the project. Within the project, he was in charge of social media that were used to make the project easier to follow by the project partners and the wider audience. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were created to promote the project content and Mr Thibault coordinated PR activities in this field.

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Julián Vojtech started a professional career at the National Sport Centre, where working from 2005 until 2008 as a Head of ICT Department. Currently a freelancer, with a close affinity to sport, working with significant sport stakeholders, such as the Slovak Olympic and Sport Committee, Slovak Olympic Academy, Slovak Pierre de Coubertin Committee, National Sport Centre, just to mention a few of them. Technically and digitally supported all the sports events organised in the framework of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2016.

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Leading and directing many national initiatives in ICT and physical education, including curriculum and qualifications development, Olympic related matters and presenting internationally and nationally. Being responsible for policy development for ICT and physical education/sport, invited to numerous international conferences abroad. Close cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic in the field of creating unified information system for sport and physical culture.

TROPHIES, AWARDS, JURY, PUBLICATIONS

Published nationally and internationally, including publications within Erasmus + projects funded by the European Union. On the editorial board of national physical education journal of the Slovak national sport centre entitled Športinform.

INTERESTS, HOBBIES, FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Table-tennis, football, Nordic walking, nature, traveling, capturing new places through photographic lenses. Lifelong philosophy is in doing things together in a transparent and efficient way for everybody involved. Fluent in English and Russian languages.

SPORT REATED ACHIEVEMENTS

Sport career focused on football, an expert in ICT and digital skills. Blending sport with nature, connecting sports and technology, blending real and virtual life challenges, focusing on platforms, youth, sports and education.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Graduating University of Trnava in Slovakia, with specialisation on media communication and marketing, 2004. Numerous life-long learning activities within the Slovak national sport centre in the field of management, marketing, finance, media, negotiation, and presentation skills, including communication training.

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Legal Counsel at HB Reavis, Legal Associate with a demonstrated history of working in the legal services for international clients. Skilled in M&A, Legal Advice, Legal Compliance, Corporate Law and Tax Law. Member of the Slovak Bar Association since 2018.

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Logistically supported all the sports events organised in the framework of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2016. External lecturer at Jagellonian University, Poland at the Faculty of Law and Administration. Extensive experience as legal associate at the KPMG Slovakia, paralegal at Doprastav, and Proiuris advokati.

TROPHIES, AWARDS, JURY, PUBLICATIONS

Working with significant sport stakeholders, such as the Slovak Olympic Academy, Slovak Pierre de Coubertin Committee, National Sport Centre, just to mention a few of them. Author of several publications and articles on values ​​of sport, including Coubertin Academy – Social Inclusion through Sport Values.

INTERESTS, HOBBIES, FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Interest in cycling and long-distance running. Passionate for travelling, discovering new places and cultures. Fond of foreign languages, sports diplomacy, and writing. Fluent in English and French with basics in Russian language.

SPORT RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS

Sport enthusiast, active in multiple sports, including swimming, running, shooting and golf, with sound knowledge of the European sport policies, notably on social inclusion through sport, integrity, sport values and sport diplomacy. Voluntary activities in sports at the national and international level in various sports discipline. Active in numerous sport functions. Member of the executive boards of sporting entities.

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

2018 - 2019 post-gradual studies at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia with a title Doctor of Law – JUDr., Law. 2016 - 2018 Master´s degree in law at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. 2013 – 2016 Bachelor´s degree in law at the Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Learning activities within the Slovak national sport centre in the field of management, marketing, finance, media, negotiation, and presentation skills, including communication training.

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Elena Malíková works at the Government Office of the Slovak Republic and has extensive managerial experience in civil service. Former Director of Department of Education and International Affairs at the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic (2007-2017), Chair of the Council Working Party on Sport under the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the European Union (2016), Head of Department of Education at the National Sport Centre in Slovakia (2004 - 2007).

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Non-governmental work comprises both professional and voluntary activities, notably within the International Modern Pentathlon Union - an appointed member of the Pierre de Coubertin Committee and elected member of the Business Affairs Committee (2004-2008), Secretary General of the Slovak Modern Pentathlon Association (1993-2003), Chair of the Slovak Olympic Academy (as of 2021).

TROPHIES, AWARDS, JURY, PUBLICATIONS

Awarded by Trophy of the International Olympic Committee on Olympic sport and literature (2001), Editor-in-chief of the National Sport Centre Revue (2004-2007), Jury member of the EU #BeInclusive Award (2017) and the EU #BeActive Award (2022) of the European Commission, author of publications and press articles on sport issues and Olympic education.

INTERESTS, HOBBIES, FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Passionate for intercultural dialogue, sport diplomacy and foreign languages, fluent in English, French, Russian, with sound knowledge of Polish, German and Japanese. Interested in sport and health enhancing physical activities, notably swimming, running and hiking. Proud finisher of three marathons - New York 2005 (USA), Treviso 2006 (Italy) and Bratislava 2007 (Slovakia).   

SPORT RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS

Former high-level modern pentathlete, member of the national team of Czechoslovakia, later of Slovakia (1988-2000), a multiple national champion and World Cup finalist, participated in numerous foreign camps, including an educational and training camp at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas (1990).

EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS

Graduated at the University of Economics in Bratislava, her educational background covers post-gradual French language specialisation “Le Français du sport” at the Université Michel de Montaigne in Bordeaux and studies in sports management at the University of Poitiers, France focusing on Executive Masters in Sports Organisation Management - MEMOS programme guaranteed by the International Olympic Committee.