From football to hobbyhorsing: How Luxembourg is making kids fall in love with sport

The Festival of Games, organised annually by the Luxembourg Olympic and Sports Committee (COSL), celebrated its 42nd anniversary in 2025. Traditionally timed to coincide with Ascension Day, the event once again brought families from all over the country together in Kockelscheuer to inspire a new generation to get active and experience the diversity of sporting culture.

50 sports - from tried and tested classics to unexpected novelties - were made available for direct participation. Traditional disciplines such as athletics, handball or judo were adapted for children: equipment was modified, rules were simplified and training was turned into a game. All of the activities presented are available throughout the year through local sports clubs, which makes the festival an important tool for popularising mass sports.

Particular attention was drawn to alternative sports, including hobbyhorsing, a Scandinavian discipline where participants compete in manoeuvres and jumps with a toy horse between their legs. As it was not possible to bring real horses, the Luxembourg Equestrian Federation presented a fascinating demonstration that aroused keen interest among children and parents. This creative sport proved to be a symbol of how even a game can develop into a full-fledged discipline with techniques and rules.

Dodgeball, a game similar to dodgeball, which in Luxembourg has moved beyond the realm of school recreation to a national federation, clubs and even a national team, also deserves attention. This reflects the trend of expanding the palette of recognised disciplines with new, democratic formats.

The popularity of the Festival has not faded: for more than four decades it has remained an integration platform where sport becomes a common language for children, parents, coaches and volunteers. In an atmosphere of excitement and discovery, sport is not imposed here, but falls in love with itself - through the joy of the first basket hit, a successful jump or simply running with an imaginary horse on an improvised field.