The Sport Sciences School of Rio Maior (Polytechnic University of Santarém, Portugal) hosted the international online conference “Promoting Inclusion, Values, and Development through Martial Arts in Sport” on November 20th, 2025. The event brought together speakers from several European countries to share research and practical experiences showing how martial arts and universal sports contribute to social cohesion, health improvement, education, and the reduction of inequalities. Experts from Portugal, Hungary, Albania, Montenegro, and Kosovo presented diverse approaches and findings aimed at advancing sport for social development.
Professor Stevo Popović, from the University of Montenegro, contributed as an invited speaker with the presentation “Universal Sports for Social Impact: Cases from Montenegro.” He highlighted the theoretical framework positioning sport as a driver of social transformation and presented empirical evidence from Montenegro demonstrating improved inclusion among youth and seniors. He also showcased Montenegro’s contribution to the USSI project, including the selection and adaptation of three SAM methodologies: Summer Day Camp, Family Training, and Sporty Birthday, emphasizing their strong inclusion potential and planned implementation phases across the region.
This conference represented one of the final milestones of the USSI – Universal Sports for Social Impact project under Work Package 2 (WP2), focused on knowledge exchange and methodology development. The online event successfully showcased collaborative achievements among partner countries and defined future directions for integrating universal sports into community programs to achieve sustainable social impact.