About the Project
Project title: (In)visible minorities in sports: promoting equality, inclusion, rights and equity
Project acronym: NEMUS
Project number: uniri-mzi-25-113
Project financing: European Union – NextGenerationEU
Project duration: 1 October 2025 – 30 September 2029
Total value of the project (EUR): 46.021,31
Legal disclaimer: The project is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission Neither the European Union nor European Commission can be held responsible for them.
Project Leader
Name and surname: Associate Professor Vanja Smokvina, PhD
E-mail: vanja.smokvina@uniri.hr
Project Team Members
- Professor Prijić-Samaržija, PhD, prijic@uniri.hr
- Professor Marta Žuvić, PhD, marta.zuvic@uniri.hr
- Professor Sandra Laleta, PhD, sandra.laleta@pravri.uniri.hr
- Professor Richard Parrish, PhD, parrishr@edgehill.ac.uk
- Professor Carmen Perez Gonzalez, PhD, carmenpg@der-pu.uc3m.es
- Professor Dražen Čular, PhD, drazen.cular@kifst.eu
- Associate Professor Sandra Winkler, PhD, sandra.winkler@pravri.uniri.hr
- Associate Professor Adrijana Martinović, PhD, adrijana.martinovic@pravri.uniri.hr
- Associate Professor Robby Houben, PhD, robby.houben@uantwerpen.be
- Assistant Professor Karla Kotulovski, PhD, kkotulovs@pravri.uniri.hr
- Helena Majer, LLM, helena.majer@pravri.uniri.hr
- Neven Protić mag. nov., neven.protic@uniri.hr
Project Description
The project (In)visible Minorities in Sport: Promoting Equality, Inclusion, Rights and Equity deals with the issue of children, young people, pregnant women and mothers and fathers in sport, as well as athletes in the status of self-employed persons, as persons who represent vulnerable groups in sport. These are groups that at first glance are either not visible at all or one gets the impression that they are not in the status of vulnerable groups and groups that cannot enjoy basic human rights, not only as athletes, but also as human beings. The scientific research team, in addition to the principal investigator, consists of 12 other scientists from the Republic of Croatia and abroad.
The results of the research work on the project will be presented through scientific conferences, summer schools, published scientific papers, scientific book and presentations at international scientific conferences and summer schools. Publications in the media and on social media will achieve visibility of the project, the project call as well as the results of the research, and publications on social networks will aim to reach the widest possible circle of interested public in the Republic of Croatia, but of course also abroad.
Project goals:
- Propose guidelines as well as de lege ferenda legal solutions in the sports system regarding ensuring the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups in sports (children, minors, pregnant women and mothers, fathers and self-employed persons)
- Put in focus of the professional and public attention the issues of protecting vulnerable groups in sports (children, minors, pregnant women and mothers, fathers and self-employed persons)
- Involve famous athletes in promoting the results of scientific research within the project
Expected results:
- Organize two international scientific conferences
- Organize three summer schools
- Publish a scientific book
- Publish nine scientific papers
- Give ten presentations at international and national scientific conferences, including conferences within the project
- Undertake various measures to promote a culture of equality and equity
- Regularly publish project results
- Update the library with relevant literature and databases
Key words:
- sport, vulnerable groups, equality, inclusion and equity
Project Results
Lecture held at the prestigious SBS program, 25-11-2025
On 25-11-2025. Assoc. Prof. Vanja Smokvina held an invited lecture at the prestigious graduate program in sports management – Master SBS in Treviso (Italy). This is a program jointly launched by Verde Sport (Benetton Group) and Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia.
The lecture was on the topic of EU Sports Law with an emphasis on athletes’ rights, and was held as one of the project activities within the NPOO project NEMUS: (In)visible minorities in sport: promoting equality, inclusion, rights and equity (uniri-iz-25-113), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
The fifth Jean Monnet Students’ Sports Law Conference Held, 15-12-2025
On Monday, December 15, 2025, the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Law, through the Institute of Sports Law, Sports Policies and Sports Diplomacy and the Jean Monnet Chair for EU Sports Law, Policy and Sports Diplomacy, in cooperation with the Edge Hill University (UK) Centre for Sports Law Research and the Jean Monnet Chair for EU Sports Law and Policy, organized the fifth online international conference of sports law students, also known as the Jean Monnet Conference.
We would like to praise our student Erik Haidinger, who gave a presentation entitled Croatian Sports Act, as well as our incoming Erasmus + students. The speakers representing our Faculty were Wiktoria Stefanowicz (University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland) with the topic Spectator Disorders in Poland and Anna Radka (University of Warsaw, Poland) with the topic Anti-Discrimination Laws and Sport. The conference was introduced by a short presentation by prof. Richard Parrish, Dr. Andrea Cattaneo and Adam Pedlebury from Edge Hill University (UK) and Assoc. prof. dr. Vanja Smokvina from our Faculty, which marked 30 years since the decision of the European Court in Luxembourg in the famous Bosman case.
The conference was held as one of the project activities within the NPOO project NEMUS: (In)visible minorities in sport: promoting equality, inclusion, rights and equity (uniri-iz-25-113), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
The Event with Slaven Bilić held on 18-12-2025
On Thursday 18 December 2025, in the crowded Blue Room, an Event with the famous former football player, coach and TV presenter and commentator, was held. The Event started by celebrating the 35th anniversary of the match between Croatia and the USA on 17 October 1990 in Zagreb (the first match of the Croatian national team) and the second match played on 22 December 1990 at Kantrida in Rijeka, the same day the Croatian Constitution was adopted. On this Event was attended by Duško Grabovac, the then secretary of the Croatian National Football Team, and two players Saša Peršon and Robert Rubčić.
The central event was a lecture and conversation with Slaven Bilić in which he touched on his sports, academic and presenter career. One of the central topics were the athletes’ rights.
The Event was held as one of the project activities within the NPOO project NEMUS: (In)visible minorities in sport: promoting equality, inclusion, rights and equity (uniri-iz-25-113), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
The Event had the media coverage by:
