On 2 August 2025, DIASPORTCAMP — co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Sport programme — delivered a practical, in-person workshop on diabetes management for coaches and support staff at the opening of Mamut 2018’s MBA and SilverHoops basketball camps. The session, held at Hotel Srebrno Jezero and led by Project Coordinator Saša Ćirić together with diabetes specialist Jovana Živić from NGO Plavi Krug, brought clinical expertise straight to the courts and training halls.
Thirty coaches and support staff from Serbia, Croatia and Romania attended the two-hour session. Practical demonstrations focused on everyday management in sporting contexts: recognising warning signs, safe monitoring routines before and after drills, and coach-led measures to ensure participant safety and inclusion. The live format strengthened the online training offered on EMCA Studia and gave coaches concrete confidence to support young athletes with diabetes during camp activities.
The DIASPORTCAMP pilot ran alongside Mamut 2018’s summer programme, which included eight eight-day shifts and a total of 1,700 young participants (ages 8–18). Across the camp series there were 130 coaches involved (including 20 women) and 11 children with diabetes participated in the pilot. Anonymous workshop evaluations returned an average score of 4.90 / 5, confirming the session’s practical value and immediate applicability.
Key outcomes from the workshop include strengthened on-site readiness, confirmed medical cover for all shifts, and direct access for coaches to the DIASPORTCAMP e-learning materials on EMCA Studia (https://studia.multisportclubs.eu/classes/dia-sport-camp-diabetes-management-and-inclusion-in-youth-sport-camps/). The consortium thanks Plavi Krug for its clinical contribution and the European Union for Erasmus+ support that made the blended (online + in-person) model possible.
The DIASPORTCAMP team will use lessons from the pilot to fine-tune course materials and follow up with participating coaches. For more information and to access the course, visit the project site: https://diasportcampproject.com/.