The OCDC is a two-year project funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union for Education, Training, Youth and Sport which seeks to promote dual career knowledge and understanding among national sports federations and athletes competing in Olympic sports.

On the first day of the meeting the project partners - representatives of the National Olympic Committees of Greece, Poland, Lithuania, Slovenia, Turkey and the think tank European Network for Innovation and Knowledge (EUNIK) considered the overall aims of the project and completed a survey.

There was a strong focus on the challenges athletes face in combining elite sport, education, and work as well as their needs and aspirations.

In forthcoming weeks Olympic sports athletes will be invited through communication channels including social media to respond to this survey, as this will lay the foundation for the project’s baseline study.

Based on the survey findings and best practices to be also identified by the participating National Olympic Committees, a roadmap for bridging the gap between the sporting field and athletes' future professional lives will be developed.

The second day of the meeting was dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of dual careers and the digital tools that will be utilised.

Those involved in this new project will convene again in April 2023, with Turkey playing host.