Presentation of the Euro Sport Health Project of the Barcelona Council

27 May 2011, Committee of the Regions, Brussels (Belgium)

Speech by Keith Whitmore, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to thank you, Mr Monras, and the Barcelona Council Sports Department for inviting me to say a few words to open today’s presentation of the Euro Sport Health Project.

If I accepted the invitation to come here today it is because the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe lays great store by sport as a means not only of promoting a healthy lifestyle but also of promoting understanding and solidarity between European citizens. 

The Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe’s executive body, in its recommendation of 1992 on a revised European Sports Charter, considered sport to be a social and cultural activity which encourages contacts between European countries and citizens, thus playing a fundamental role in the realisation of the Council of Europe’s aim to achieve greater unity between its member states.  Sport does this by reinforcing the bonds between peoples and developing awareness of a European cultural identity. 

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe also recognises the importance of sport, indeed in 2008, it adopted a resolution on integration through sport that actively encourages municipalities and towns to support any policy that aims to make sport more accessible to as many people as possible, irrespective of age, gender, religious or social background.  This is because sport has many qualities and serves many purposes.

In our increasingly multicultural and multiethnic societies, sport can be an answer to the challenge of how to achieve closer integration.  It is not always easy to live together with people from a different culture or with different religious beliefs - we have a tendency to distrust what we don’t know, what is not like us.  Far too often, we are ready to accept the stereotypes advanced by the media and political extremists rather than make an attempt ourselves to see others’ points of views or understand others’ values. 

By joining in sporting activities, by playing in the same team as “the other”, we can get to know our fellow citizens better.  We can dispel the stereotypes we so readily accept about people from different origins, cultures or with different religious beliefs.  Sport helps to promote intercultural dialogue and thus to combat the racism, intolerance and xenophobia that is increasingly prevalent in today’s society.  It helps to foster mutual respect, promote social integration and fight against social exclusion.  In this way, ladies and gentlemen, sport makes a valuable contribution to the democratic process.

We in the Congress are constantly seeking new paths to achieve the Council of Europe’s aim of greater unity between its 800 million citizens.  One way is to build inclusive societies where everyone feels she or he belongs.  That feeling of belonging starts at home, in our towns and in our cities, in the suburbs, in the streets.  Sport offers a structure within which everyone is welcome.  It is an integral part of the life of the neighbourhoods in which we live and thus enables all citizens to be actively involved in their community.  Engaging in sporting activities with our fellow citizens helps us to bring down barriers, acting as an antidote to the anonymity of everyday urban life, and awakens a sense of belonging, a spirit of community-mindedness.  We are able to forge links with our fellow human beings thereby avoiding exclusion and isolation.  All of this contributes to the stability of our society and helps to fight against exclusion.

One can also argue that participating in sporting activities teaches citizens the very foundation of a democratic society by highlighting the need to respect rules.  Sport emphasizes the collective experience of shared effort and achievement that creates social bonds: we act as part of a team, a community, we celebrate victories and overcome defeats together, as a group, not individually following the maxim of “every man for himself”.

The Euro Sport Health Project aims to promote the health benefits of sport and physical activity and encourage citizens to participate in sport regularly.  In urban societies, physical exercise, games and sport promote the physical and mental well-being of individuals, and as the statistics show, the more people are physically active and involved in sport and recreation, the healthier they are.

Our resolution on integration through sport underlines the important role local and regional authorities play in promoting the practise of sports and in creating the necessary conditions so that all groups of society have equal access to sports facilities without discrimination.  This is particularly important for the most vulnerable groups in our society, that is to say the elderly, people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods, of immigrant background, and people with disabilities. 

Being involved in sporting activities will not only promote the integration of people from vulnerable groups, it will also help to keep them healthy, and to gain in self-confidence and self-esteem.  Their access to sports equipment and amenities can be made easier if these facilities are free of charge.  Statistics show that children who engage in sport and recreation do better academically and are more likely to enjoy school.  Sport and recreation can help to divert young people from crime and anti-social behaviour.  It can also target those young people most at risk of committing crime and help their rehabilitation and development.  Sport also has a positive influence on the quality of life, health, life expectancy, mental stability and self-confidence of the elderly too. 

So we can see that thanks to physical exercise, citizens will be healthier which in turn means healthier cities.  And that is of particular interest to the Congress and its members as we work to improve society for the inhabitants of our cities.  In addition, it is most often our responsibility to provide and manage sports and leisure facilities and we believe the development of accessible, barrier-free sports facilities, such as playing fields, municipal swimming pools, stadiums, should be an integral part of urban spatial planning and development policy. 

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is in the Congress’ interest to support activities and projects which work towards achieving the Council of Europe’s aims at local and regional levels.  We in the Congress were very interested to learn about Barcelona Council’s project to develop a European Day of Sport whereby villages, towns and cities across Europe will put their sports amenities at the disposal of all of our citizens for one day.  Thanks to this project, everyone, irrespective of her or his age, social situation, ethnic or cultural origin, will be given the opportunity to discover new physical activities and pastimes, the opportunity to come together, in play, with their neighbours and fellow citizens.  The Congress can but support this proposal and will encourage its members - who are regional and municipal councillors, mayors and presidents of regional authorities representing over 200,000 authorities in 47 European states - to sign up for this project.  Although sport is not a panacea for the wide range of problems facing society, it would be a mistake not to make use of the opportunities it offers to us to build a more inclusive European society.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan once spoke of sport as being “a global language, capable of bridging social, cultural and religious divides … fostering understanding, tolerance and peace. … and contributing to the well-being of whole communities and countries”. Although he is quite right, I would like to end on a quotation from a great statesman, Nelson Mandela, which I think most apt for this occasion: “Sport has the power to unite people in a way little else can. Sport can create hope. Breaks down racial barriers… laughs in the face of discrimination and speaks to people in a language they can understand”.

Mr Monras, I wish you and your colleagues every success with your projects to promote sport across Europe. You have our total support for this project.