Lithuania ratifies the Macolin Convention

Macolin Convention 30 July 2024 Strasbourg, France

The instrument of ratification by Lithuania of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (CETS No. 215), also known as the Macolin Convention, was registered this day, 30 July 2024, by the Treaty Office of the Council of Europe. Lithuania thus becomes the 11th...

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Sport and the French-speaking world: promoting equality and diversity

EPAS 25 July 2024 Paris, France

Sport is a vehicle for peace, solidarity and inclusion. Unfortunately, sporting environments all too often give rise to discriminatory, violent and abusive behaviour. Whether the discrimination is based on race, gender or sexual orientation, it is essential to prevent and respond to these...

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The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter Series: part 5 of 10

Sport for all: the access to sport considered as a fundamental right

ENLARGED PARTIAL AGREEMENT ON SPORT (EPAS) 23 July 2024 Strasbourg, France

Sport provides numerous benefits, from enhancing physical and mental health to fostering social connections. Ensuring that everyone has access to sport without discrimination is crucial. This universal access to sport is the cornerstone of both the Council of Europe’s European Sports Charter and...

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The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter series: part 4 of 10

Fair play, or how to foster respect and fellowship through sport

ENLARGED PARTIAL AGREEMENT ON SPORT (EPAS) 17 July 2024 STRASBOURG, FRANCE

Promoting fair play means so much more than just playing by the rules. The Council of Europe’s European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter both place fair play at the core of the values-based sport model. The European Sports Charter, Article 8 underlines the power of fair play as a vehicle of...

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The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter series: part 3 of 10

Sport integrity: together for a democratic, transparent and ethical sport

ENLARGED PARTIAL AGREEMENT ON SPORT (EPAS) 10 JULY 2024 Strasbourg, France

The Council of Europe’s European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter both promote a values-based sport, with specific provisions on safeguarding its integrity: Article 8 of the European Sports Charter emphasises that “the pursuit of sport integrity should commit all stakeholders and […]...

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The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter series: part 2 of 10

Human rights in and through sport: the European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter

ENLARGED PARTIAL AGREEMENT ON SPORT (EPAS) 5 July 2024 Strasbourg, France

The Council of Europe’s European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter both promote values-based sport, with specific provisions on the protection of human rights in sport. The European Sports Charter (article 6) states: “All stakeholders shall respect and protect internationally recognised...

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Belgium ratifies the Macolin Convention

Macolin Convention 1 July 2024 Strasbourg, France

The instrument of ratification by Belgium of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (CETS No. 215), also known as the Macolin Convention was registered this day, 1 July 2024, by the Treaty office of the Council of Europe. Belgium thus becomes the 10th State...

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Report on child consultation on safeguarding in sport in Bulgaria

EPAS 1 July 2024 Sofia, Bulgaria

Involving children and young people in decision-making is a fundamental step towards enabling the full enjoyment of children’s rights, as well as democratising sport and creating a safe sport environment. EPAS held a child consultation session in the framework of the “Start to Talk” project on 30...

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The Olympic Torch stops at the Council of Europe on its way to Paris

EPAS 26 June 2024 Strasbourg, France

In a historical and unprecedented moment, the Olympic Torch entered the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg on 26 June and was greeted by leading officials, parliamentarians and staff on its journey to the host city of Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Torch was...

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Anti-Doping evaluation visit to Armenia

ANTI-DOPING 25-27 june 2024 Yerevan, Armenia

A team of Council of Europe experts carried out an evaluation visit to Armenia to assess the country’s anti-doping system. Held from 25 to 27 June 2024, the visit aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Anti-Doping Convention. The team met with the Deputy Minister of Sport of Armenia, as well...

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Clean sport in France: the Council of Europe releases a monitoring report on France's anti-doping system ahead of the Games

ANTIDOPING 26 June 2024 Strasbourg, France

The Council of Europe Monitoring Group of the Anti-Doping Convention (T-DO) has released a comprehensive report on France's efforts to combat doping in sport. France is one of the pioneering nations in establishing a regulatory framework, and continues to adapt its legislation to meet the...

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The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter series: part 1 of 10

The European Sports Charter and the Olympic Charter: two pillars for values-based sport

ENLARGED PARTIAL AGREEMENT ON SPORT (EPAS) 26 June 2024 Strasbourg, France

The European Sports Charter is the Council of Europe standard which lays down the basic principles for national sports policies, allowing governments to provide everyone with opportunities to practise sport under well-defined conditions. The Olympic Charter is the codification of the fundamental...

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PACE parliamentary hearing on sport betting addiction

EPAS 25 June 2024 Strasbourg, France

Sport betting is in constant growth, with the online sport betting market being projected to reach €46.33bn in 2024 , which would represent an annual growth rate of 7.91% [Statista]. As the market grows, cases of addiction to sport betting do too, as a global phenomenon and a public health issue...

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Third annual meeting of the MARS Network

EPAS 18-19 June 2024 Lyon, France

The sport world provides fertile ground for corruption and financial crime; seldom investigation, prosecution and sanctions, which are especially complex in the case of transborder crimes, make these low-risk and high-reward activities for criminals. The Network of Magistrates / Prosecutors...

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Council of Europe contributes to the review of the WADA 2025 draft Prohibited List in the meeting of its Advisory Group on Science

ANTI-DOPING 19 June 2024 London, United Kingdom

The Advisory Group on Science of the Monitoring Group of the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention, met in London (United Kingdom), hosted by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD). Anti-Doping scientists from the State Parties to the Convention met to address key issues in anti-doping...

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Anti-Doping evaluation visit to Austria

ANTI-DOPING 13 June 2024 Vienna, Austria

A team of Council of Europe experts carried out an evaluation visit to Austria to assess the country’s anti-doping system. Held from 11 to 13 June2024, the visit aimed to evaluate the implementation of the Anti-Doping Convention. The team met with high-level representatives of the Federal...

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Sport integrity: EPAS's contributions to the latest issue of Sport and Citizenship’s magazine

EPAS 12 June 2024 Strasbourg, France

The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) has contributed through a series of eight articles to a special issue of the Think tank Sport and Citizenship’s magazine on the subject of sport integrity, published on 12 June 2024. In this 57th edition of the magazine, contributors discuss the...

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European Sports Charter: support and follow-up visit to Morocco

EPAS 11-12 June 2024 Rabat, Morocco

On 11 and 12 June, a Council of Europe team carried out a support and follow-up visit to Rabat to further the implementation of the European Sports Charter (ESC) within Moroccan legislation and policies. The ESC is the Council of Europe standard which lays down the basic principles for national...

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Combating hate speech in sport : from words to action with a powerful commitment by the sport community

COMBATING HATE SPEECH IN SPORT 5 June 2024 Madrid, Spain

In Madrid, Spain, the Council of Europe/European Union project “Combating hate speech in sport” is presenting effective tools and progress made in the participating countries (Spain, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Montenegro) to address hate speech in sport. The event is bringing together key...

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Spotlight on the European Sports Charter at the EPAS annual plenary meeting

29-30 May 2024 Strasbourg, France

The Governing Board and Consultative Committee of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) held their annual joint plenary meeting on 29 and 30 May 2024 in Strasbourg, France. The meeting focused on the European Sports Charter, with a dedicated session which allowed for the showcasing and...

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