European Week of Sport can inspire Europeans to exercise

The European Week of Sport should be about bringing Europe together and improving citizens' health, writes Marc Tarabella.

By Marc Tarabella

Marc Tarabella (BE, S&D) is co-chair of Parliament’s Bureau of the Sports Group

09 Sep 2015

The #BeActive European Week of Sport is a new initiative launched by the EU institutions. The aim of the week is to promote sport and physical activity across Europe. 

It is a great opportunity for the EU to start a new drive to bring together citizens and encourage them to participate in sport. The European Week of Sport will take place from the 7-13 September, with the aim of integrating the public and private sectors and incorporating the interests of European, national, local and regional stakeholders.

There will be a special 'flagship event' during the week which will bring together the different actors including policymakers, sports associations and private citizens, to share best practices and come up with innovative ways to inspire Europeans to exercise through interactive workshops, a high-profile conference and other activities.


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Being the co-president of the European Parliament's sports intergroup, my goal is to make policymakers aware of the importance of sports' core values such as health and education. Also, it's a great way of erasing differences between communities.

It unites us, regardless of our origins or beliefs, and brings us together in line with the democratic values promoted by the European Parliament.

The European Week of Sport is an excellent opportunity to tackle key themes with worldwide experts in areas such as health and social promotion, education, sport business, corruption, doping, and career retraining.

These themes match the objectives of the Parliament's sports intergroup, which was created a few months ago, and it is an honour for me to be co-president with MEP Santiago Fisas Ayxelà. 

This intergroup will bring together MEPs from all political groups across Europe. We want Parliament to be a think tank for sports policymaking and also to initiate legislation.

I am convinced that the European institutions must be an example to all sports policymakers in Europe. These policies should consist of an exchanging platform of ideas and dialogue, and if appropriate, the starting point for a new legislative impetus in promoting exercise for citizens.

 

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