Thank our Portuguese hosts for the excellent collaboration in co-organising with EPAS this successful 18th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport.
Stress the great addition of the “Youth Initiative” having brought together in Porto over 20 youth delegates and added new perspectives to our work.
Welcome the adoption by the Conference of the Resolution on “Governing and Governance in sport: supporting a fresh approach to match its societal importance”. This will guide the future work of EPAS/the Council of Europe in what is a vital domain for the future of sport. What better opportunity to address such matters than following a Euro and Olympic and Paralympic Games that have all perfectly illustrated the value of sport for our societies.
Recall that the CoE has been – for decades – a reliable, innovative, and productive partner of governments in developing their sport policies. This was the case with the Macolin Convention, which on its 10th anniversary promises to deliver its unique potential as an enabler of global cooperation.
Manipulation continues to be one the most serious threats to sport integrity and we hope to see more countries adhering rapidly to the Convention.
The European Sports Charter (ESC), another strong example of the CoE’s role, was promoted today and underpins the work of the CoE EPAS member States that adopted this key text in 2021.
On session 1 on Collaborative governance: note how collaborative governance is about teamwork. Partnerships between governments, sports organisations, civil society and the private sector are essential for enhancing leadership in sport. This is about valuing each and every player and promoting a more inclusive and reflective system adapting to the needs of all stakeholders, such as athletes and young people.
Governments and the sport movement need to work more closely together, and we are proud that EPAS was founded precisely with this spirit, enabling a large variety of organisations to exchange and work with governments.
Collaborative governance has to be stepped up and the autonomy of sport understood in a more inclusive manner: being autonomous in decision-making does not mean being isolated. Sport integrity also includes criminal law aspects and prosecutorial follow-up when needed. Last year EPAS established the MARS network of magistrates and prosecutors responsible for sport. A game changer for sport integrity that will facilitate cooperation between criminal justice authorities and sport organisations when this is called for.
On session 2 on Good governance: the critical role that good governance plays in ensuring transparency, accountability, and fairness in sport is not new.
While there is progress, we need to move beyond compliance towards a culture of integrity in all aspects of sport governance. This is vital if we want to preserve sport as a space for inclusion and unity.
Sport should be exemplary and must comply with the strictest objectives of good governance. The work on good governance carried out by IPACS - the international partnership against corruption in sport which CoE contributed to establishing - is essential and should be promoted, applied and assessed.
Finally, invite everyone to contribute tomorrow morning to the focus sessions on leadership through gender equality in sport & dual career which will delve into effective strategies and explore future directions on those fascinating topics.
Stress that gender equality is a core component of the European Sports Charter, of the CoE’s work in sports policy, as well as being part of the CoE’s overarching work.
Conclude: The CoE’s motto at 75 is ‘united around our values’ – those values find their most precious expression in sport. Let’s work together to keep it that way.
