As delivered by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

President of the Hellenic Parliament,

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, dear Theodoros,

Dear Minister,

Chairperson of the National Delegation of Greece to the Parliamentary Assembly, dear Dora,

Dear athletes,

Dear friends,

It is a great pleasure to speak here today in the historic and impressive Hellenic Parliament –

In the heart of Athens –

Which is both the home of democracy –

And the site of the first modern Olympic Games, back in 1896.

There could hardly be a better place to come together and discuss how we –

Can better promote safety, integrity, equality and inclusion in sport.

We all know the enormous benefits that sports can bring –

To us as individuals, and to our communities –

Better health, personal development, and the deeper social bonds that come with winning together –

And even losing together.

But, we also know that too many people are missing out on these benefits.

According to the World Health Organisation, 31% of adults ‒ and a shocking 80% of adolescents ‒ do not meet the recommended levels of physical activity ‒

And the global cost to public health care systems of this lack of activity is estimated to be three hundred billion US dollars between the years 2020 to 2030.

But behind each number – there is an individual – a human being – like you and me.

That is why we need to do more to make sure more people engage in sports – and focus on sport for all –

Focus on the universality of sport and giving the chance to everyone.

That means mobilising sports organisations and clubs in our local communities, regionally and nationally –

And enhancing co-operation between parliaments, governments and sports organisations.

We also need to look at how sports clubs, federations and organisations are run – to encourage a culture of transparency and good governance.

That can win peoples’ interest, trust and participation.

So, how do we do this?

Our Ministerial Conference on Sport just last month in Porto spelled it out plainly.

Its very title was “collaborative governing and good governance in sport” –

And its resolution laid out the ways in which we should aim more for values-based sport.

So, on this point about collaboration, I particularly welcome the decision to set up a Parliamentary Alliance for Good Governance and Integrity in Sport.

Parliamentarians represent the people.

They work for them, speak for them, and legislate for them on all matters of interest, including sports.

So, we need members of parliament from across this continent to come together –

And share ideas, insights and best practice,
about how they can create a better sports environment for those they represent.

There will no doubt be many good ideas that emerge from the discussion here today.

But for us it is natural to look at a human rights-centred approach to sport.

Here the Council of Europe has developed a range of important tools that can be put to use.

These include our specific sports conventions.

First, our Anti-doping Convention –

The first treaty of its kind.

Second, our Saint-Denis Convention which ensures that sports events uphold safety for those who participate and attend –

Security from violence, crime and intimidation –

And service, by making people feel comfortable, appreciated and welcome.

And third, we have our Macolin Convention –

Which brings public authorities together with sports organisations, competition organisers, and betting companies –

To prevent, detect, and punish those seeking to manipulate sports competitions –

Through a common legal framework and international co-operation.

The Macolin Convention is now 10 years old and it is on its way to becoming the global reference it was designed to be.

But for that it needs more ratifications –

So today I hope that parliamentarians from countries that have not joined the Macolin Convention will be inspired to make the case for doing so –

But there are also many other ways in which we can work together for good governance.

EPAS, our Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sports has collaborated with UNESCO to produce Guidelines on sport integrity – and also co-operates with a range of other organisations, including IOC, on these issues.

And last year, 46 European governments adopted a Declaration on Sport Integrity –

All this is good, but we also need to look at ethical standards in sports –

Captured in the very title of this Conference –

And which underpin specific, forward-looking initiatives from our Sport Sector – and are part of the follow up of our revised European Sports Charter.

Let me mention a few concrete initiatives.

Projects like Start to Talk –

Which works with public authorities and the sport movement to stop violence, abuse and the sexual of children in sports.

And All in Plus –

Operated jointly with the EU –

Which promotes gender equality in sport to help end the relative invisibility of women in sports and the ongoing lack of awareness about gender imbalance in sport.

And I must say that I very much look forward to new data on the level of participation and leadership roles of women in sport – which will come early next year.

Dear friends,

I know that all of these themes and activities will be part of the discussion here in Athens –

As will be the range of important initiatives undertaken by our Parliamentary Assembly –

And I congratulate you, Mr President and the Assembly and the Hellenic Parliament for taking this initiative – so that we can meet and discuss here together –

Seeking to break new ground.

New ideas that are needed to tackle both the ongoing and new challenges in the sport world.

Thank you for your attention.