History of European Congress (EUCAPA)
The European Congress of Adapted Physical Activity (EUCAPA) has been in existence since 1986. It was organized for the first time by Jean-Claude DePotter, at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (B), in order to establish a European branch of the international Federation of Adapted Physical Activity (IFAPA). The constitution of this European association was written and signed during a congress in Portugal in December 1987. DePotter then became president of IFAPA (1987-1991) and was a very active collaborator for the development of the respective study programs (EMDAPA and DEUAPA). The first and the consecutive chair persons of this European Association of Research into Adapted Physical Activity (EARAPA) in the following years have been the following: Gudrun Doll-Tepper, Free University Berlin, Germany (1987-1993); Herman Van Coppenolle, K.U. Leuven, Belgium (1993-2002); Maria Dinold, University of Vienna, Austria (2002-2006); and since 2006, Jean-Claude DePotter. In 2004, the association was renamed the European Federation of Adapted Physical Activity—EUFAPA.
European APA Congresses
The European congresses (some years called conference and some other years called congress by the local organizer) took place twice in Leuven (B)—1993 and 1995 and then in Thessaloniki (GR)—1998, Vienna (together with 13th ISAPA)— 2001, Amiens (F)—2002, Dortmund (GER)—2004, Olomouc (CZ)— 2006, and Torino (ITA)—2008. The official language for these conferences has been English. Scientific exchange within these European meetings has become increasingly intensive over the years. On the other hand, the different national partners have acknowledged barriers of understanding because of the many languages within Europe. The regional organizers try to form connections with practitioners in the field by providing special offers for them such as workshops for planning and evaluating APA programs, develop-ment of single case studies, or other practice-oriented research.
The theme of the 2006 conference in Olomouc, Excellent Research—Bridge Between Theory and Practice, aimed at demonstrating the trends within the European situation. EUFAPA, as carrier of the con-gresses, looked for common ground in the variety of scientific, linguistic, ethnic, and sport characteristics. This cross- and multidimensionalitywas well manifested in the subthemes of 8th EUCAPA (e.g., educational programs and public awareness, physical fitness, and activity for individuals with intellectual disability or APA in the context of ageing and disability).
The 9th EUCAPA in Italy, in October 2008, focused on Science and APA for Everyone. This was demonstrated by inviting the participants to present contributions from the perspectives of applied science and vocational training, as well as considering practical and/or theoretical aspects. The specific hospitality of our Italian organizer has been the base for international encounter (IFAPA held its board meeting prior to the congress in Torino). Additionally, interesting dialogues occurred between students and researchers from the host country as well as from many other countries worldwide. Honoring these merits, the newly established EUFAPA-European Award for Outstanding Achievement on national level of the hosting country 2008 was conferred to the chief organizer and EUFAPA board member, Anna Maria Bianco, from SUISM, Torino. Two other categories of awards were created for this and future European congresses of APA:
• The EUFAPA-young investigator's award. This award is given for the best presented paper at EUCAPA; the candidate shall be selected among the applications submitted together with the abstract by the award committee. In 2008, the award winner was Silvia Tolomio (from Universita di Padova) for an excellent presentation of her submitted paper, "Physical Activity in Low Bone Mineral Density Post-Menopausal Women."
• The EUFAPA-European professional award for outstanding achievements in the field of APA on an international level; the candidate will be selected by the EUFAPA award committee following nomi-nations from European countries. By choosing Jean-Claude De Potter as the first award winner in this category, the award committee expressed its appreciation for all his initial work for the European movement and for his important contributions in research, study program development, teaching, and transfer of knowledge in theory and practice worldwide.
In this sense the (hi)story will hopefully go on for EUFAPA and EUCAPA by working for a scientific and professional community aiming to develop in knowledge, competence, and social consciousness among Europeans.