European Esports Summit in Bar: bringing gaming and sport closer together
From 24 to 26 April 2026, the city of Bar in Montenegro hosted the Montenegro Future Festival, marking the fifth edition of one of the leading events in esports, gaming, and digital innovation. The festival gathered a global community of gamers, innovators, startups, incubators, and investors, highlighting the growing importance of this sector.
While gaming has long been part of everyday life, especially among younger generations, the current evolution of esports is moving beyond the purely digital experience. Increasingly, attention is being placed on balancing digital engagement with physical activity.
From gaming to the phygital concept
One of the key messages of the festival was the revival of the idea “Mens sana in corpore sano” – a healthy mind in a healthy body. The global gaming community is recognising that long hours of sedentary play are not sustainable, leading to the integration of physical activity into gaming culture.
This shift has given rise to the concept of phygital – a combination of digital gaming and physical sport. It introduces elements of competition, physical preparation, and active participation, creating a new hybrid space between sport and gaming.
HAŠK Mladost and experience in bridging sport and gaming
The connection between sport and gaming is not new for HAŠK Mladost. The organisation has previously been involved in Erasmus+ Sport projects exploring exactly this intersection – integrating digital environments with physical activity, now recognised under the phygital approach.
This experience positions HAŠK Mladost as an organisation that actively follows and contributes to innovation in sport, adapting to the evolving needs of new generations.
The role of multisport organisations in the esports ecosystem
EMCA (European Multisport Club Association) was represented at the festival by Bojan Mijatović, Director for International Relations, who participated in the panel “Innovation, Funding and Ecosystem Development”.
The discussion highlighted the importance of connecting multisport environments with the esports sector, as well as the potential of such collaboration to engage young people and develop sustainable sport ecosystems.
A new space for sport development
The European Esports Summit demonstrated how the boundaries between sport, technology, and digital culture are increasingly blurred. The rise of phygital concepts and the growing emphasis on physical activity within gaming communities open new opportunities for sport organisations.
For HAŠK Mladost, as a multisport organisation actively involved in European projects and innovation, these trends represent an opportunity to further develop and adapt sport to the realities of a new, digitally connected generation.
