No large display of country flags in the badminton hall at the Papendal sports center. They are present, but the name and color of the companies of the athletes are perhaps more important at the European Company Sport Games (ECSG) in the province of Gelderland. Airbus, Ghent University, Post NL, Veolia, Hager Group. These are the names stated on the company shirts, these are the ‘countries’ that the athletes represent at the multi-sport event.
Representing your country is an honor for many athletes. On the ECSG the proud of the employee playing for their company plays an important role. Something that is quite normal in countries such as France and Germany, but is less obvious in the Netherlands – with its characteristic culture of sporting clubs rather than sporting for you company. “It also happens in the Netherlands, but as a company we mainly exercise by participating in events such as Alpe d’Huzes (cycling) or at the Dam tot Damloop (athletics).
Abroad, entire corporate competitions are set up in volleyball or basketball, often because there is no culture of sporting clubs as we know it. Perhaps we can strengthen those two worlds in the Netherlands,” says Ron van Gent, program director of the Stichting Nederland Onderneemt Maatschappelijk (NLOM!) of VNO-NCW.
Vitality
It is one of the goals of the ECSG, which is organized by NLOM!. Van Gent and Martine Schuijer, director of the foundation, speak of a leverage effect that includes more goals. Vitality is the most important one. “This event completely fits in with the theme of making workers more vital,” says Schuijer. “With our Vitaal Bedrijf (Vital Company) program we want to encourage companies in the Netherlands to work on that vitality. Healthier employees feel better and achieve better results. And because the retirement age is moving up, it is also very important that everyone reaches the finish line fit.” VNO-NCW wants to seriously work on a Dutch Business Sports Federation, of which it already has the license.
During the ECSG, employees of different companies from 14 European countries compete against each other in 21 sports. Well-known sports such as table tennis, basketball, football, but also lesser known sports such as petanque and orienteering. These sports are spread across the province of Gelderland, involved in the event as a co-organizer. Not everything is centered on Papendal, but sports are also played in Ede, Apeldoorn and Doetinchem so that the surrounding area also benefits from the visitors.
Warsteiner
Fanaticism and sporting together for fun seem to go hand in hand at the ECSG. While on one field in the table tennis hall players produce incredible rallies, on the other field a break is taken to tap a beer from a barrel of Warsteiner brought along. “In the end, it’s really about winning for some people,” says Schuijer. “There is a football team from Malta that asked us if a training accommodation was available, because they wanted to prepare well. Well, then we’ll arrange that.”
Mental health
Back to Vitaal Bedrijf (Vital Company). Van Gent and Schuijer note a growing awareness at companies of promoting the health of employees. “And we help them with this by thinking with them about how we can achieve healthier employees. In addition to sports and exercise, it is also about nutrition and relaxation. Mental health is also important. I think that companies have become even more aware of this, partly because of corona.”
The ECSG is a biennial event that could not take place due to the corona pandemic last year, next year Bordeaux will be the host in ‘company sports country’ France. In the Netherlands, this company sport may not have a great tradition, but the origin of the ECSG is indeed Dutch. The first edition of the multi-sport event took place in 1977 in the Netherlands, at the initiative of Philips. “And at the opening ceremony were relatives of the creators and founders. That was nice to see.”