10th ENGSO Forum

Agenda

Programme

Summary Report

ENGSO FORUM

Sport Political Situation – Steps Forward
Tórshavn (Faeroe Islands), 14 -16 September, 2007

C O N C L U S I O N S

With the organisation of its 10^th Forum in Tórshavn, ENGSO continued its “Islands Tour”. On Iceland, Malta and, the last time on Madeira, participants learned about the specific problems of small member countries and far-away island characteristics which have a strong impact on national and international sport activities of the respective ENGSO members. The President of the Faeroese Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation, at the same time Mayor of Tórshavn, in his capacity as host of the event, clearly pointed out how much voluntary commitment is needed to offer attractive and efficient sport and physical activity programmes for the population of about 48.000 people who live on 15 of the 18 islands. On the other hand, there are also many efforts to successfully compete at international sporting events, the Paraolympic Games at Sydney being a good example, where a young Faeroese lady won 4 gold medals in the swimming competitions.

Voluntary commitment and leadership in sport was also one of two major topics on the Forum agenda, to be discussed from different points of view. The honorary President of ENGSO Bengt Sevelius presented a survey, which showed the developments and trends regarding voluntary work in different ENGSO member countries since the beginning of the Nineties. He also informed about an EU project for the education of “sport coordinators” (administrators of sport facilities). The Swedish delegation highlighted a model project for early recruitment, training, motivating and keeping of volunteers and voluntary leaders in sport, also in view of giving them more recognition by society. As an additional contribution to this topic the representatives of the UK presented a status report on the ENGSO mentoring programme for women in sport ”Enter!”.

Further topics at the Forum were a survey by Austria on the financing  of sport in ENGSO member countries and a short basic exchange of information on the place of sport on the agenda of the Council of Europe (EPAS standing for the European Partial Agreement on Sport). The discussions on the latter showed that the future of sport within the CoE continues to be very important, yet quite unsure if more countries do not join the agreement.

The main Forum deliberations, however, were dedicated to another issue of major concern and interest for ENGSO: the EU White Paper on Sport. The discussion of this topic were held in the presence of the EU Sport Unit representative and resulted in a draft paper in which ENGSO highlighted its position regarding the contents and proposals of the EU (summarized in the ”Pierre-de-Coubertin Action Plan”) regarding future EU activities, financing possibilities and studies related to sport in the EU. The draft position paper will be finalised, once the comments of ENGSO members who were not present at the Forum have been included, and shall be submitted at the EU meeting with sport organisations and stakeholders in Brussels on October 8, 2007. Basically, ENGSO welcomes the White Paper on Sport and feels positive about it, as it is the first comprehensive horizontal approach to sport by the EU Commission, and hopes that the coordinated efforts among different Directorates General will contribute to a more systematic support to sport in Europe by the EU. The different studies planned by the EU can certainly help to clarify some circumstances that are specific to the nature of sport and are still not properly taken into account. The continuation and intensification of the dialogue between the EU and sport will be of great help and value in this respect.

In conclusion, the ENGSO Forum on the Faeroe Islands can be considered as effective and successful. Under the leadership of the new ENGSO President Birgitta Kervinen (Finland) it was attended by 31 participants from 21 ENGSO countries. It was characterised by lively discussions which brought us some important steps closer to our overall aim, namely, to strengthen the role of sport in Europe and have ENGSO active contribute to the further development of the European sports movement.

ENGSO

                                                                                                                                September 2007