20 Years of Move Sports: Sport, People and Vision
20 Years of Move Sports: Sport, People and Vision
Celebrating 20 years of Move Sports is, above all, celebrating a journey shaped by people, values and vision. It is about looking back with gratitude and forward with conscious, sustained ambition. I regularly tell our team that we are in the right place, at the right time, in the right activity; our success depends only on us.
Sport has always been at the centre of my life. As a former high-performance athlete and international rugby player, I learned early on that the true value of sport lies not only in results, but in the process: daily commitment, respect for the rules, resilience in adversity, and individual growth in service of the team. These lessons shaped not only my sporting path, but also my approach to leadership and business.
My academic background in Law and my professional experience as a lawyer gave me rigour, structure and critical thinking. Yet it was through the management and development of sports projects that I found the most complete way to unite passion and strategy. From that convergence, Move Sports was born, a company built on the belief that sport is a powerful vehicle for connection, education and transformation.
To this day, I continue to live sport with the same discipline and intensity, as a regular personal practice and as a constant source of learning, balance and well-being. Sport has always been, for me, a source of happiness. That philosophy has guided Move Sports from the very beginning.
When experienced authentically, sport brings out the noblest qualities in human beings: discipline, courage, persistence, respect and integrity. These are precisely the qualities that make a difference not only on the field of play, but also in companies, clubs and organisations. Sport teaches teamwork, responsible leadership, how to deal with pressure, how to learn from defeat and how to celebrate success with humility, skills that are essential in modern organisations and communities.
Pope Francis expressed this vision in a simple and profound way when he said:
“Sport is a school of virtues, where one learns to give one’s best, to respect others and to grow together.”
Over the past two decades, Move Sports has established itself as one of Portugal’s leading companies in sports tourism and international sports events. Our growth has been consistent and carefully built across our core areas: sports training camps and tours, the organisation of international tournaments, and the design of corporate sports events that use physical activity as a tool for engagement and team development.
This evolution has been sustained by the quality of our projects, our sense of responsibility, the trust of our partners, and a long-term vision. We have always believed that sport can be a powerful platform for social, organisational and economic development, creating experiences with real and lasting impact.
Along this journey, I take particular pride in the creation of the Portugal Rugby Youth Festival, now with 17 editions held, and recognised today as a global reference in youth rugby. This event perfectly reflects our vision: competition combined with development, multiculturalism, a strong spirit of fair play and the promotion of our country. Alongside this event, Move Sports has conceived and delivered numerous national and international sports tournaments across different disciplines, always with the aim of raising standards, creating long-term value and leaving a positive legacy.
Our work in corporate sports events has also become a defining pillar of our activity. We have witnessed first-hand how sport can inspire change within organisations, strengthen collaboration, create shared joy and build healthier workplace cultures.
None of this would have been possible without people. A very special word of thanks to our extraordinary team, more aligned and experienced than ever, with whom I have the privilege of working every day. I am equally grateful to our shareholders, partners, clients and institutions who have shared the same standards, passion and sense of purpose. Move Sports is the reflection of this collective work and of the trust built over time.
As we look forward, the future presents demanding challenges, but above all, exciting opportunities. International sports tourism continues to grow, and so does the need for responsible, well-organised and sustainable sports travel experiences. Major projects lie ahead. We will continue to invest in innovation, internationalisation, sustainable sports tourism and a vision of sport that places people at the centre. With the energy of the first day, the experience we have gained, and the conviction that the values that brought us here are the same ones that will take us much further.
The first 20 years were only the beginning. May God guide us through the next 20.
António da Cunha
Founder and CEO — Move Sports