Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13340 | 21 October 2013

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

Signatories: Ms Carmen QUINTANILLA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Josep Anton BARDINA PAU, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Levan BERDZENISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Ms Delia BLANCO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Ms Sílvia Eloïsa BONET PEROT, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Michael CONNARTY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Carlos COSTA NEVES, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Katalin CSÖBÖR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Ismeta DERVOZ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EPP/CD ; Mr Axel E. FISCHER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Gvozden Srećko FLEGO, Croatia, SOC ; Mr Hans FRANKEN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Sir Roger GALE, United Kingdom, EDG ; Mr Antonio GUTIÉRREZ, Spain, SOC ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Margus HANSON, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Ferenc KALMÁR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Jan KAŹMIERCZAK, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Pierre-Yves LE BORGN', France, SOC ; Mr Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT, France, SOC ; Mr José MENDES BOTA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Nicos NICOLAIDES, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Ángel PINTADO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr John PRESCOTT, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Elisabeth SCHNEIDER-SCHNEITER, Switzerland, EPP/CD ; Mr Robert SHLEGEL, Russian Federation, EDG ; Mr Ahmet Kutalmiş TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Jordi XUCLÀ, Spain, ALDE

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Especially for children and young people, practising a sport is an excellent means of socialisation between people of different gender, ability, culture or nationality. It opens up possibilities for meeting and exchange, it helps immigrants to bond with other members of society and it facilitates positive relations with underprivileged groups and categories which suffer from discrimination. Sport has (and must play) a role in promoting equality between men and women, social ties and a culture of “living together”. Consequently, it is important to promote an inclusive approach to sport.

The Parliamentary Assembly decides, therefore, to analyse good national practices as well as initiatives taken by international sports organisations and federations to encourage equal access to sport and the practise of sport as a factor in social cohesion. The Assembly will thus be able to identify concrete actions that could render this equal access to sport effective at national and European levels, and encourage joint efforts between the different parties involved, or even partnerships between national authorities, European sports federations and international sports organisations aimed at equal access for all, without discrimination, to sports activities.