One of the most exciting topics of the European Association for Sport Management (EASM) conference, which will take place in Budapest at the Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUSS) from September 2 to 5, is the situation and lag of Eastern-Central European countries in the field of sport management. An interview on this topic was conducted with Professor Gábor Géczi, the scientific director of the EASM 2025 conference and Head of the Department of Sport Management at HUSS.
– How did the topic “Sport management in Eastern-Central European countries” become part of the event’s programme?
– When the Hungarian University of Sports Science (HUSS) submitted its bid to host the EASM conference, we included in our proposal a commitment to involve the countries of the region more actively in the life of the organization. This is important because, due to financial reasons, only a few participants from Central and Eastern Europe can attend the event. Accordingly, we are organizing a thematic day with significantly reduced registration fees. We activated our personal and professional networks to promote the forum among university researchers and sport management professionals living in the region. Those who attend will have a much better chance of getting to know the well-organized structure of EASM and experiencing a high-level conference.
– What will be discussed at the thematic forum?
– The challenges related to specific sport management issues in this region. We will go through the various problems, including one of the most significant—economic challenges—since the region lags considerably behind the more developed Western regions, especially in terms of elite sport financing. An interesting question, for example, is how teams from this region can be successfully managed when they have to compete with much wealthier clubs from Western Europe or overseas.
– Besides the economic aspect, is the Central and Eastern European region lagging behind in any other areas?
– One inherited characteristic is that, in many cases, the Soviet-style sport governance system is still present—namely, the large multi-sport club model. This structure is virtually unknown in Western Europe and North America. This is another important challenge that needs to be addressed.
– Since the political transition, has there been any progress in the areas you mentioned above?
– This is an extremely interesting and complex question. If we take the Summer Games as an example, we can see that Hungary has performed outstandingly in terms of medals won compared to neighbouring countries, which reflects the strategic and sectoral strength and success of Hungarian sport. Without overemphasising Hungary’s international sporting achievements, it can be said that the state of elite sport in the region is not particularly promising—even though countries like the Czech Republic and Poland perform fairly well in popular team sports. Consequently, we can conclude that each country is grappling with its own set of issues. In the case of Hungarian sport, it is also evident which disciplines are no longer delivering strong results, and which have adapted better to the new environment—allowing them to set out on an upward trajectory.
