Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-05-13-Speech-1-115"
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"en.20020513.10.1-115"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, I would like to say, by way of introduction, that I regret that it is so late in the day that we are dealing with topics of interest to young people. The galleries are empty. All day long, there are young people sitting in the galleries and now their issues are being discussed there is, unfortunately, nobody there. Perhaps we can change that in the future, when proximity to our citizens might mean that people understood what goes on in this House.
Despite that, I rejoice at the initiative that has been set in motion, and I would like to thank you too, Commissioner, for the way sport has been brought more into the field of vision of European policy and perhaps getting more attention. I am convinced that sport merits such attention, playing as it does a very large number of roles in society, for example, enhancing communication skills and social skills, personality development, preventing ill health and more of the same besides. Sport is a very important factor in social and economic policy.
As an initiative, the Year of Sport or of Education through Sport is a very good first step, and one that needs to be followed by many more. Despite that, there is one criticism that I would like to address, one on which I agree with Mrs Pack. The title of ‘Year of Education through Sport’ is intended to restrict the events to schools. I cannot go along with that, believing as I do that clubs and organisations have to be involved in the activities and supported in doing so. Education through Sport does not only happen in schools, but mainly in clubs and in an immense number of sporting organisations. The Year of Education through Sport must also, I believe, make an impression on clubs and acknowledge the work they do.
I also expect there to be much discussion in this House of the values that sport embodies, about what, for example, fair play is, about the nature of amateur and professional sport, about what is meant by training and care for young sportsmen and sportswomen and a good deal else. Discussion must range far and wide. If we leave an area out, it will only be half a job and we will have wasted an opportunity.
The European Year of Languages was, I think, a very good example. It involved both the schools and every sort of educational organisation, making it possible to spark many initiatives and get many new schemes moving. We should take it as our example. It worked, and the same thing can also – must also – work in sport. Sport is movement! You should not be restricting movement, but encouraging it. That calls for scope for development and also for financial guarantees."@en1
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