AA16CR32ADD1

AS (2016) CR 32
Addendum 1

2016 ORDINARY SESSION

________________________

(Fourth part)

REPORT

Thirty-second sitting

Wednesday 12 October 2016 at 10 a.m.

Debate:

Sport for all: a bridge to equality, integration and social inclusion

The following texts were submitted for inclusion in the official report by members who were present in the Chamber but were prevented by lack of time from delivering them.

Ms OHLSSON (Sweden) – The title “Sport for all: a bridge to equality, integration and social inclusion” says what it is about and is at the same time challenging.

We know that sport is one of the most popular activities in our societies and is, by far, the most prevalent in the voluntary sector. Sport plays an important role in physical and mental well-being, and it is therefore necessary for social cohesion, to provide opportunities for people of different gender, abilities and nationality or from different cultures to be included, to meet and exchange ideas, thereby strengthening the culture of “living together”.

At the same time, we know that there are significant problems when it comes to equal access to sport, notably gender discrimination, discrimination because of origin, and barriers resulting from social vulnerability, including disabilities and cultural background. We can see every day, for example in the media, that the gap between male and female sports participation substantially arises from a stereotyped “masculine” perception of certain sports. So we have a lot to do if we vote for this report and the amendments.

If sport for all is to become a reality, we must have the answers, so that girls and boys, men and women, have the same possibilities for training and for remuneration for sport, and so that women have the same media time in sport compared with men. We must find how we can increase the number of women board members of sports organisations and ensure that membership fees mean that everyone can be a member.

Another question concerns the bad behaviour of many supporters in Sweden. I think other countries have the same problem, too. If there are many supporters at a football match, you can hear some men shouting words about sexuality in a violent way, and some men and boys also use violence. That is not acceptable, and perhaps families do not dare to go to matches because of that.

The report will be very useful in the everyday work for everyone’s possibilities to be included. In Sweden, the government has now increased the budget for this reason, and I know that continuing work is the intention of the report. I am the president of Lidköpings Footballs Club and we have discussions about gender equality, how we can include unaccompanied children, taking a child perspective instead of hard competition, membership fees and other such matters.

Mr R. HUSEYNOV (Azerbaijan) – Sport has been popular in my country throughout history and very skilful sportsmen have appeared in various fields. Nonetheless, Azerbaijan has been recognised in its true splendour only in the past 25 years and has thus succeeded in proving itself as a well-known sports country on a global scale. Recently, Azerbaijan has regularly hosted international sports competitions and world championships. Twenty-five years ago, there were also Azerbaijani sportsmen successfully competing in world sports arenas, but with the country under a foreign yoke, they competed under a different flag and so represented not their own nation, but the empire they used to live in. The example of Azerbaijan growing from a relatively small country into a prominent international sporting country in a short time, deserves to be studied as a proper model of how the State cares for sport.

Sometimes, personal examples solve many issues. The incumbent Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, chaired our country’s Olympic committee for a long time prior to being elected to his current position. The activities implemented by him to promote sport in all regions of the country, including the construction of modern sports complexes, are now yielding fruit. In addition, he used his new opportunities as president to increase the development of sport in the country. So, if countries approach sport not merely as physical training, but as an indispensable direction of the country’s policy, as well as in the life of State and society, they will inevitably achieve positive results.      

There is even a popular saying to console losers: the main thing is to participate in the Olympic games. However, this popular aphorism on the Olympic games relates to the notion of sport itself on the whole. The main thing is to have a good attitude towards sport and generally to go in for sports regularly. This concerns both the individual and the entire State. Let each of them take his lesson!  

Ms KARAPETYAN (Armenia) – I thank the rapporteur sincerely for raising an issue which, at first sight, does not seem important, but which actually is, because it unites societies, nations, and people. Indeed, sport is universally seen as the most popular activity in the world and it is supposed to be free and far removed from politics, injustice, inequality and any form of unbalance. Sport is supposed to be clear and strict.  For every sportsman, the greatest and most desirable aim is to win the most prestigious competition – the Olympic games. This is the year that we had the Rio games and many member States had the honour of having Olympic champions. My country got a gold medal as well, so once more I want to congratulate the Olympic champion of Greco-Roman wrestling, the Armenian Artur Aleksanyan.

Unfortunately, even in sport, we see cases of injustice. We see referees who sometimes judge not by conscience and rules, but quite the contrary, because they are trying to do some powerful persons a good turn. During the Rio games, another Armenian sportsman, Greco-Roman wrestler Mihran Harutyunyan, was deprived of gold and got silver only because of injustice and bad refereeing. You do not have to be an expert to see that it is true. Everyone present was surprised; they were just whistling at the so-called winner and only applauding the Armenian guy, Mihran. This blatant example is not the only one; it was the same in boxing – Narek Abgaryan and Hovhannes Bachkov were also victims of bad refereeing.

I call the Parliamentary Assembly not to turn a blind eye, to take proper steps and to call on the various international sports federations, the Greco-Roman Federation and United World Wrestling, to pursue these issues. Every injustice in sport overshadows not only the Olympics, but the aim and nature of sports, the faith and willingness to go ahead.

After all, as the father of the modern Olympic games, Pierre de Coubertin, said: “The most important thing in the Olympic games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.” Let me add to this quotation that if hope is lost through examples of injustice and unfair judgment, one cannot have enough strength of will to take part and go ahead with deep faith in sport. Let us return the faith and strengthen it together.

Mr KARLSSON (Sweden) – I was previously a football coach for a boys’ team for about seven years. It was obvious to me how adults easily forget what it is like to be a child. Children develop their personalities and acquire experience by playing, and if they get the chance to exercise sports without early exposure to performance and competitiveness, they become more creative than others. Therefore, I believe that sport at a young age has to be based on play, spontaneity and companionship. Playing gives your imagination free rein, and that is what makes Zlatan Ibrahimović or Birgit Prinz great football players; they find impossible solutions that no coach could teach them. It is important that the core values ​​of sports are not forgotten.

My own and many others' experience of sport is the sense of fellowship and belonging. By playing sport we get new friends and role models, we become physically strong while we are playing and laughing. For this reason, it is important that sport does not become too serious too early. Performance requirements could inhibit a child's joy and imagination.

Boys and girls who have several years of adolescence left are suddenly raised or deselected. Those who at the moment are considered the most promising will be put in special development teams, practising their technique in special training camps and playing games against other selected children, while those who are late developers or, for other reasons, do not belong to the best, stay in a grey, everyday life where the risk is great that many are disheartened. How does the girl or boy who is not selected feel? How does it affect their self-esteem in the long run?

There is a big risk that those who do not fit in completely lose the desire to practise sport. Some might have become competent coaches or leaders. That is why this subject is so important. Sport for all, which creates fellowship and self-esteem, must be based on the principle that every child is appreciated, where performance requirements and competitiveness at a young age are restrained. And most important, sport must be fun.

Ms LOUHELAINEN (Finland) – I thank the rapporteur for raising these important issues. Sport plays an important role in social cohesion as it gives every person the opportunity, regardless of sex, ability, nationality or culture, to meet and interact, thus consolidating the culture of “living together”. And this is what it is all about; sport and exercise can be a uniting factor even when there is no common language.

The effective integration of migrants and refugees is currently a key issue in many countries. This is a challenge, especially when different cultures and traditions are supposed to work together side by side, not opposite each other. Since 2011, Finnish municipalities have had the opportunity to apply for grants for the integration of migrants through sport. The project aims to join migrants and the original population together in sports activities.

This report calls on public authorities to increase the involvement of school and university sports in the promotion of sport for all, together with sports organisations and with a special focus on young people. Finland is also a frontrunner on this issue. One of Finland’s top priorities is to increase activities that prevent health problems and promote school peace. A project called “moving schools” was started in Finland in 2010. More than 1 700 schools in Finland participate in this project, covering nearly 80% of the pupils in Finnish basic education. These schools challenge traditional ways of learning: pupils sit less; education is supported through functional practices; exercise is organised during breaks; and pupils are encouraged to be physically active on their way to school. Pupils are included in the planning, decision making and activities,  and this has improved the school atmosphere and the pupils’ social skills and learning.

In order to support the possibility of girls being active in sport, the Finnish equality programme encourages taking both sexes into account when building sports facilities. Equality is also included in the criteria for sports organisation grants. The governmental sports council oversees the fulfilment of equality and parity.

Ms PELKONEN (Finland) – We are discussing a very important issue and I would like to put particular emphasis on children. Every child should have the possibility of having at least one hobby. Doing such activities together with other children is the best way to prevent marginalisation and exclusion. A hobby teaches children skills that are valuable throughout their lives. Teamwork and regular physical encounters are crucial in today’s individualised and digitalised societies.

A family’s wealth should not be an obstacle to practising sports. Unfortunately, the rising costs and sometimes also the lack of support hinder children and young people taking part in sports activities. Access to sporting hobbies should not be a question of wealth or social class but available for all. Support for sports activities should be seen as an investment for the future.

The point of departure in Finland is a “hobby guarantee” that is based on the principle that every child should have the opportunity to take part in at least one hobby of their liking. Children must be able to feel that they can have an impact on their own lives and at the same time have something nice and regular to go to. Exercise in schools, and through club activities in particular, plays an essential role in promoting good exercise habits. The main aim of the Finnish “moving schools” project is to bring at least one hour of exercise into the school day of every child in basic education. This is not rocket science and sports activities can be organised through low-threshold club activities in the afternoons of the school day and in co-operation with sports clubs. 

Everyone should have the right to experience sport, culture and interaction through their hobbies. It is one of the most valuable things that we can offer our children and young people and it will benefit the society as a whole in the long run.

Mr WELLS (Canada, Observer) – I applaud the great work of the rapporteur, Ms Quintanilla. I strongly believe that participating in sports is important, and concur with the report’s recommendations.

In Canada, how sport is practised is influenced by our climate, geography and social diversity. For example, lacrosse, Canada’s official summer sport, has been played by Aboriginal peoples for more than 500 years. Today, it is played by thousands of people across Canada. Our winter national sport, ice hockey, originated over 200 hundred years ago, when students adapted the field game of hurling to the ice and it developed into ice hockey. One of the most fascinating games in the world, basketball, was actually invented by a Canadian, Dr James Naismith, more than 125 years ago to condition young athletes during the winter.

Over the years, sport in Canada has become a cultural trademark. It is significant in terms of participation, volunteer activity, national pride, health, community well-being, youth development and social cohesion. The Canadian Government’s mission has been, and still is, to continue leading Canada towards being a nation of physically active citizens.

In this respect, the federal government, along with the various other levels of government, has adopted institutions and organisations with an integrated approach to sports by establishing programmes and policies to promote the inclusion of Aboriginal peoples, low-income families and the disabled and to resolve gender inequalities, among others. With the release of the 1986 “Canada Policy on Women in Sport”, for example, thegovernment committed to make equality of opportunity for women at all levels of the sport system an official goal.

Canada has become a leading sports nation. For example, 2015 was proclaimed as the Year of Sport in Canada. Why? Because Canada successfully hosted a number of major international sporting events, including the Pan-American games, the FIFA Women’s world cup and the IIHF world junior hockey championships.

As a sports enthusiast myself, as a hockey player and as a high-altitude alpine mountaineer, I have seen first-hand the positive effects of participating in sport activities on our youth and local communities. I congratulate the committee on bringing this issue to the fore.

Mr SIMMS (Canada, Observer) – I agree with the report’s recommendations that member States should adjust their respective sports policies to focus more on participation and to strengthen the collaboration between public institutions in order to reduce dropping out from sport; to monitor discrimination in the field of sport; to involve equality and human rights organisations in the fight against discrimination in sport; and to rethink the distribution of elite sport revenues.

Sport has always been an integral part of society, traditions and identity in Canada. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Canadian Government became more directly involved in our nation’s sport system by adopting the first Fitness and Amateur Sport Act to “encourage, promote and develop fitness and amateur sport in Canada.” Over the years, the Canadian Government adopted a more integrated and dynamic approach to sport by putting in place a variety of programmes and policies. The programmes support professional Canadian athletes, whereas the policies promote the inclusion of Aboriginal peoples, low-income families, the disabled and linguistic minorities, as well as rectifying gender inequalities.

Provincial and territorial governments, as well as the private and not-for-profit sectors, also provide programmes and funding that support participation and excellence in sport. In my hometown in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the grant programme KidSport was established to ensure that children can experience sport regardless of their income or ability. Having said that, the federal government remains the single largest investor in Canada’s sport system.

The common thread between the various levels of government, institutions and organisations that play key roles in our sport system is the Canadian Sport Policy. The notion of a pan-Canadian policy was first conceived in 2000 and endorsed by the federal, provincial and territorial governments in 2002. It provides governments and non-governmental organisations with the framework to co-ordinate their efforts to enable all Canadians to participate in a physical activity.

The current sport policy is effective from 2012 to 2022. Its objectives are, among other things, to increase the number and the diversity of Canadians participating in sport and to continue building inclusive communities, contributing to social and economic development, and promoting positive values at home and abroad.