Brussels, 07/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 7 September in Brussels, Commissioner Tibor Navracsics, responsible for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, gave the go-ahead for the first European Week of Sport event, which will come to a close on Sunday 13 September.
The Commissioner explained that he wanted “to inspire Europeans to be active on a regular basis. Let's start now, whether in school, at the workplace, outdoors or in a sport facility. Anyone can be active, regardless of background, age or fitness level”. He also emphasised that as well as providing health benefits, sport also “helps to strengthen tolerance and create a sense of belonging and build communities”.
The European Week of Sport is a new initiative by the European Commission and organised in the framework of the new Erasmus+ programme to promote healthier lifestyles and well-being and build open, inclusive societies. Each day of the European Week of Sport will be dedicated to engaging in physical activity in a different setting such as school, workplace, the outdoors, as well as sport clubs and fitness centres. A series of workshops will also highlight the main theme of this year's event: how sport can contribute to fostering social inclusion and promoting tolerance, respect and fair play at grassroots and professional levels. A number of ambassadors for sport, who are well known professionals and active in different areas of sport, will also be involved in promoting lifelong sport and physical activity during the European Week of Sport (see EUROPE 11348).
On Monday, Commissioner Navracsics also inaugurated the European Sport Village in Brussels, which offers sport activities and information about various sports organisations. Not wanting to be outdone, the member states will also be putting forward a number of parallel activities on their own respective territories. A summary agenda is available at the following website: http://ec.europa.eu/sport/week/take-part/map_en.htm
This event was initially proposed by the European Parliament, with the backing of the member states. The European Week of Sport is expected to become an important tool over the next few years in promoting sport and physical activity in our societies and our daily lives. The event will be organised on an annual basis and the Erasmus + programme, which has a budget of €265 million for the section on sport, will provide it with substantial financial support. The first partnership documents with the 14 sporting organisations were signed at the European Sport Forum in Milan on 1-2 December 2014. (Isabelle Lamberty)