Conferentie bespreekt sport als instrument voor sociaal beleid (en)

On 18th-19th July this year, Wroclaw was the scene of a Conference of Experts, which launched a series of events in the realm of sport.

On 18th-19th July 2010, a Conference of Experts with the theme ‘Equalising opportunities through sport as an element of social policy’ was held in Wroclaw. It kicked off a series of events organised under the Polish Presidency in the realm of sport, which constitute the implementation of one of its priorities — the social dimension of sport.

The conference was attended by experts from the EU countries representing the administration, the academic community and non-governmental organisations. Among the invited guests were Irena Szewinska, a member of the International Olympic Committee, Raija Mattila, co-chairperson of the International Working Group for Women’s Sports (IWS), Clémence Ross, Holland’s former sport minister, Gudrun Doll-Tepper, vice-president of the German Olympic Committee, as well as Katarzyna Rogowiec, Paraolympian, deputy chairperson of the International Paraolympic Committee’s Competitors Council, Grazyna Rabszyn, Director of the Centre for Olympic Education, Olympian Kajetan Broniewski and other outstanding sport personalities.

The conference was opened by Sport and Tourism Minister Adam Giersz, who underscored the importance of sport as an effective instrument against social exclusion which promotes equal opportunities in society. Minister Giersz recalled that one of the priorities of the Sport and Tourism Ministry coinciding with the theme of the conference has been the government project ‘My Sport Field - Eaglet 2012’, which has been carried out since 2008. Its purpose has been to afford equal access to sport for all Polish citizens. The Mayor of Wroclaw Rafal Dutkiewicz also pointed out the integrating role of sport as a key element of social policy, especially appreciated and developed in Wroclaw in recent years as attested to the amount of spending on sport.

In the debate on the role of sport in equalising the opportunities of the elderly, national minorities, convicts and the handicapped, emphasis was laid on the need to promote and develop sport for everyone and to ensure all social groups of equal access to physical activities. Also stressed was the necessity of properly tailoring measures addressed to different recipients and the need to acquire proper professional qualifications. In addition, the question of having individuals of both sexes and all social groups represented in the upper echelons of the sport sector was raised.

The conference’s experience-sharing segment highlighted numerous examples of programmes being carried out in European countries. As Poland’s flagship project, the ‘My Sport Field - Eaglet 2012’ programme was presented, including a sociological analysis of the programme’s influence on the development of social involvement.

The meeting culminated in the drafting of a document containing guidelines on the broad use of sport in social policy to be implemented at the European, national and local levels.

The conference was organised by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism in cooperation with the Wroclaw municipal authorities.