The European Transplant Sport Week was a week filled with science, active children and Sport for all -events

The European Transplant Sport Week was possible because of the EU funding. It was organised simultaneously with the EHLTC- and ETDSC-events  last summer. The ETSW-event included three major parts.

One part was the International Youth Camp for children with organ transplant and their families. Also, Researcher Workshops and Transplant Sport Symposium was organised. Sport for All -events were organised in various locations around the Helsinki Metropolitan area. They specifically targeted the general public – to raise awareness on organ transplants.

The European Transplant Sport Week was organized by the Finnish Sports Association for Persons with Disabilities, with a close co-operation with the Finnish patient organizations.

The Researcher Workshops and the Symposium had almost 30 multi-professional speakers sharing their knowledge on various exercise-related subjects. The public was also keen to listen to the presentations. The purpose of the event was to increase the multi-professional discussion and provide a forum for interaction.

Six different Sport for All -events were organised around the Helsinki metropolitan area. These events offered many chances to try out new sports. The main aim of the Sport for All –events was to raise awareness about the organ transplant and the possibility to express one's will about the subject.

The Youth Camp attracted more than a ten families from several EU countries. The camp provided an opportunity for the less active children to try out exercising in a safe environment. The Camp brought also the parents  together and made it easier to share their experiences with each other.

All in all, the European Transplant Sport Week was a successful event.

Text: Hannes Penttilä