The Estonian Academy of Security Sciences (EASS) hosted guests celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Union of European Police Sports (USPE)
From November 29th to December 1st, delegates and guests of the Union of European Police Sports (USPE) visited Tallinn to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization's founding. At the conference center of the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, guests listened to a speech by Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Estonian Olympic Committee, and received an overview of the history of the USPE. They also had the opportunity to visit the academy and view exhibitions.
The USPE was founded in Paris, and the ten European countries that initially joined included Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, which, together with Estonia and Iceland, are currently members of the Nordic Police Sports Association (NPSA) and were responsible for organizing the event. The Estonian Police Sports Association became a member of USPE in 1994. Immediately afterwards, in 1995, the European Police Fencing Championships were held in Tallinn. A meeting of the USPE Technical Commission was also held here once, but no other European police sporting events took place in Estonia during the intervening period.
The USPE organizes congresses, conferences, championships, and cup competitions in cooperation with member states, in which Estonian police athletes have participated as far as possible. This year, athletes from the EASS have participated in mountain bike cross-country and practical shooting cup competitions, as well as cross-country running and wrestling championships. Raido Liitmäe won a silver medal for Estonia in Greco-Roman wrestling.
More than 70 participants from 24 countries gathered in Tallinn for this year's anniversary event, and since for many it was their first visit to Estonia, they actively took part in guided tours of the Old Town. President Kaljulaid, who spoke at the EASS conference center, impressed participants with her view on the need for bodyguards to be physically fit in order to run or cycling marathons with presidents or prime ministers, and they promised to keep in mind the call to involve people who are currently less active in physical activities, rather than just organizing more competitions for those who are already involved in sports. Society benefits from the spread of physical activity among the masses through improvements in people's physical and mental health, and police sports could expand to include activities with a lower risk of injury in order to protect the health of our officers.
In his presentation, former USPE President Luc Smeyers gave an overview of the history of the sports union, and there were also related exhibitions of photos and objects. Egert Belitšev, Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB), who spoke at the anniversary event, emphasized the importance of teamwork and cooperation in both sports and police work.
Allar Raja, a lecturer in sports at the PBGB, received a commemorative plate from the NPSA for his contribution to police sports and in gratitude for his work as the previous president during Estonia's presidency.
The leaders of foreign police sports were also impressed by the cultural program, which included performances by the Estonian police choir Chorus Menticum and the police orchestra swing band, as well as a surprise performance by violinist Daana Teekel.
The main organizers of the event on the Estonian side were Kadi Veervald, Development Manager for Sports at the Police and Border Guard Board, and Epp Jalakas, Senior Lecturer and Sports Manager at the Academy. The conference presentations were led by Mihkel Miller, Head of International Cooperation at the Academy.
The USPE president acknowledged the contribution of the Nordic Police Sports Union and Estonia to the event and thanked the Estonian Olympic Committee, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, Estonian Police Sports Union, Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, City of Tallinn, Cultural Endowment of Estonia and other related institutions and volunteers for their cooperation.