Moscow (Russian Fédération), 20-21 October 2006

Speech by Günther Krug, member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, to the 17th Informal Conference of Ministers of Sport

Sport is an important means of fostering participation and integration in society.

The concepts of participation and integration, which should go hand in hand wherever possible, are useful tools for achieving greater political involvement and reducing political disaffection in our complex and increasingly global society.

In Germany, we have recognised that commitment and participation in the case of young people must be a key focus of all government activity, regardless of our political allegiances.

With many young people, however, the conditions for greater involvement simply do not exist: they have too little trust in politicians, they often have little interest in politics and they just do not care or know too little about their rights and practical opportunities for participation.

In this connection, sport can play a decisive role in helping them to acquire key social and other skills such as ability to work in a team, motivation, ability to cope with conflict, a sense of responsibility and willingness to co-operate.

I should therefore like to take this opportunity to give you a few examples of the German approach to sport as a means of increasing integration and participation.
In our view, sport is a way of experiencing integration hands-on and together with other people. Integration and sport complement each other ideally.
Sport fosters cohesion in our society and builds mutual trust, allowing exchanges between people from different countries of origin and cultural backgrounds. Linguistic barriers are overcome and cultural prejudices fade away.

People from around 180 different countries live in my home city of Berlin, where around 13% of the total population are not of German origin and have different linguistic, religious, cultural and social traditions and backgrounds. Sport reaches out to people with different beliefs, bringing them together in joint activities. People with different characters, attitudes and lifestyles come together and learn from one another, thereby making a decisive contribution to the integration of different social groups.
In Berlin, 18 so-called “lead associations” have been set up to work in problem neighbourhoods. The idea is to go into such neighbourhoods and reach out to their inhabitants. These sport associations are supplemented by “co-operation clubs” which go beyond sport and offer general advice, help with homework and support with language problems.
I firmly believe that the authorities need to reach out to the public in the services they provide. The attractiveness of sport is something we should capitalise on at local and regional level.

Sport also offers opportunities for self-fulfilment and developing self-confidence, although the relevant rules and the necessary fair-play must always come first. Accepting rules and sporting opponents helps foster equal opportunities between men and women and can also play a part in developing important social skills that are of crucial importance to the social cohesion of a town or region.

Sport offers opportunities for all citizens, regardless of their social status or background. It therefore makes an important contribution to tolerant, democratic co-existence and fosters social cohesion in society as a whole.
However, it should not be seen as the only means here, but should be designed usefully to complement other social institutions, for instance, school education and the activities of social workers in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

That is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is focusing so strongly on the theme of “Integration through Sport.” The Mayor of Stuttgart, Dr Wolfgang Schuster, is the Congress rapporteur on the subject and is able to contribute valuable insights from his city’s extensive experience in the area, which clearly can serve as best practices for other towns and cities.

A widely acclaimed example here was the “Stand up, Speak up”: 2006 Street Football for Tolerance World Cup in Baden-Württemberg.
14 towns in the whole of Baden-Württemberg took part in this mini world cup for tolerance and against racism.
Some 2 500 boys and girls of between 11 and 18 years of age played in mixed 4:4 teams in the hope of being one of the 50 teams to qualify for the finals in Stuttgart. Each team represented one of the 32 FIFA nations that took part in the real football world cup. The 50 best and fairest teams from the 14 different towns where matches were played travelled to Stuttgart for the final.

In this overall context and as part of the Europe-wide “Stand Up, Speak Up” campaign (against racism and the exclusion of minorities in football, www.standupspeakup.com), the Street Football for Tolerance and Against Racism World Championship in Baden-Württemberg acted as an ambassador for a fair and trouble-free 2006 football world cup.

The City of Stuttgart is planning to hold a European congress on “Integration through Sport” in Stuttgart on 22 and 23 January 2007 with a view to building a European network and giving further impetus to this approach to integration. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will be co-organiser.

Our work here in Moscow forms part of the European efforts to establish binding rules on a Europe-wide basis. Sport, fair-play and anti-doping measures on the one hand, combined with the rejection of violence and racism on the other, unite us all here.

I therefore particularly welcome the initiative of the Russian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe aimed at pooling experiences from the various Council of Europe bodies and thereby making a key contribution to the sharing of best practice models and the establishment of effective networks.

We must make sure that children and young people at all levels learn to see themselves as part of our society. In this connection, sport acts as a bridge which brings together on an informal basis people who otherwise would probably never have had anything in common.

I would urge us all to act according to the motto: “Do good work and spread the word.” That is the only way of really making people aware of the work done by the Council of Europe’s members and its various bodies, while also expanding and consolidating the necessary public support.

In this connection, I wholeheartedly support the substantial work done by the Council of Europe’s Youth and Sport Directorate and I support the creation of a Council of Europe Partial Agreement on Sport as a key element of the competence of the Organisation.

In this spirit, I would urge us all to do our bit so that sport can develop its positive social role to the full. I hope we have a successful and enjoyable conference.