Brussels, 17/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - With the adoption of the report by Doris Pack (CDU, Germany) on the European Year of Education through Sport 2004, the European Parliament clarifies the proposal of decision to stress the educational side of sport, mainly for integration and the fight against xenophobia, and also its importance for promoting the physical activity of people of all ages and the participation of disabled and disadvantaged young people. For young people who compete, the Parliament calls for more suitable means for allowing them to pursue or complete their studies, while stressing that sport and voluntary work provide worthy parallel or informal education to those who practice them. The Parliament also calls for the creation of networks for promoting the educational value of sport and on-line databases to highlight the inclusion of sport in the Member States' educational systems. Finally, the Parliament insists on mixed sport and the development of sports for both sexes, as it sees sport as a factor of identification and emancipation.
Sport has always gone beyond borders, commented Ms Pack, who mainly cited the fight against doping and European directives on television.