Lisbon Treaty gives a boost to sport
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is delighted to see the position of sport in the European Union (EU) strengthened through the Lisbon Treaty. The new EU Treaty will come into effect tomorrow, and, for the first time ever, will provide a legal basis for sport – something for which the Olympic and Sports Movement has been fighting for the last 15 years. Articles 6 and 165 stress the significance of sport in Europe, recognise its specific nature and define the promotion of sport as a Community objective.
Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said: “We have come a long way. I thank the member states for their strong commitment to sport over the last years. The impact of sport in the EU is huge, as is the influence of EU policies on sport. It really is time to move from a case-by-case approach to an environment where the specific characteristics of sport can be taken into account properly.”
The FIFA President, meanwhile, stressed the importance of the content of article 165 for the future of sport: “Recognition of the specificity of sport is about protecting its universality, the foremost characteristic of its specific nature, in a world which is increasingly divided, and about maintaining its structures, which guarantee balance at the heart of every sport, for example between amateur football and professional football, between club football and international football, and in terms of protecting the national identity of clubs, etc. It is also about the educational and social role of sport, and about safeguarding fair play and the openness of competitions in the face of challenges which are increasingly threatening the uncertainty of sporting results.”
The reference to sport in the Lisbon Treaty, which also mentions the “specific nature of sport”, provides the necessary instrument to do so. It should allow sport to be looked at not only from a purely economic point of view, but also from its voluntary structures as well as its social and educational role. Furthermore, sport’s fundamental principle of financial re-distribution for the purpose of sporting development distinguishes it from other industries. In this regard, the Olympic and Sports Movement has been confronted with several challenges in the past, especially when it came to judgments of the European Court of Justice on pure sporting rules. For instance, the protection of national teams and the regulations concerning free movement of professional athletes need to be addressed in the light of sport-specific rules and the particular characteristics of international sport.
Whilst the European Union is not given any direct legal competences for sport, its role will be to support and promote actions of the member states in this field, following the principle of subsidiarity. “We fully support this approach since the European Union should support and not regulate sport”, stated Patrick Hickey, President of the European Olympic Committees (EOC).
This indicates that sport organisations in Europe will gain momentum through more funding opportunities. The reference to sport in the Lisbon Treaty enables the set-up of a specific EU sports funding programme as well as a better mainstreaming of sport in existing programmes.
In the coming months, the focus of the Olympic and Sports Movement, which took a clear and unified position on the autonomy and specificity of sport last year, will now be on the proper implementation of articles 6 and 165. It is about protecting sport’s autonomy on the one side, and safeguarding the integrity of sporting competitions on the other side. “We are ready to contribute with our expertise to fill the new articles on sport with life and make it a success story for everybody. The Spanish government has already invited us to work closely together in the first half of 2010. We are ready to do so and also to continue with the regular and structured dialogue that we have built up with the EU institutions”, said Mario Pescante, IOC Vice-President and Chairman of the IOC International Relations Commission.
Under the Spanish Presidency, a formal Council of Sports Ministers will take place for the first time ever.
Inaara Aga Khan becomes FIFA Football for Hope ambassador
FIFA’s Football for Hope movement has a new ambassador – Dr Gabriele Princess Inaara the Begum Aga Khan. The Princess, who holds a doctorate in law, will immediately begin helping the movement to reach its social objectives and achieve better living conditions for children and young people all around the world.
The Princess has promoted humanitarian activities for many years and vigorously championed the cause of the most disadvantaged members of our society, particularly women and children, under the auspices of her own aid organisation, the Princess Inaara Foundation.
“FIFA is proud to have gained such a prominent figure as Princess Inaara Aga Khan as an ambassador for the Football for Hope movement and we will work together with her to build a better future,” said FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter.
The aim of Football for Hope is to promote a high-quality, sustainable social and humanitarian development programme, centred around football, which focuses on the fields of health promotion, peacebuilding, children’s rights and education, anti-discrimination, social integration and the environment. These programmes have been devised with the needs of children and young people in mind and always use football as the central platform for promoting responsibility, fair play and dialogue.
New forms of cooperation
The cooperation between FIFA and Begum Inaara Aga Khan, which is based on a shared vision and mission to build a better future for our young people, will see the two parties use a variety of channels and platforms to communicate and bring to life the valuable messages of the Football for Hope movement.
“I’m looking forward to working with FIFA because, as a worldwide organisation, it has the opportunity to reach out to people. Football is the world’s most popular sport, and just as the game and FIFA have the power to inspire millions of people, they also have the power to help them, provided all sectors of society – including governments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations – work hand in hand.”
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