Mission and values

New E-learning programme promotes sustainable sport events

Providing accessible know-how

Sustainability and SportAccord

The Panel ‘Leveling the Playing Field: The Power of Sport to Erase Discrimination’ looked at the perspective of the UN and the sports movement on how sport may be used to erase discrimination, before examining the various ways in which discrimination may be manifested: race, age, gender, disability and religion. Highlighting the numerous policies and practices in place by SportAccord members, particular mention was made of SportAccord’s Social Responsibility Unit and the initiatives underway to engage the sport movement with anti-discrimination policies. 

The panel noted the importance of awareness, prevention and education in fighting discrimination. It was agreed upon that athlete role models play an important part in the conveying of positive messages. 

Sport is sometimes used as a platform for venting discriminatory tendencies (e.g. racism) thus justifying the need for legislation and regulation within International Sports Organisations so as to discourage negative behaviour as well as motivate positive conduct. SportAccord member, FIFA, includes in its statutes two paragraphs that clearly state the prohibition of any type of discrimination, corresponding punishments and a commitment to fighting discrimination in football worldwide.

 

The annual awards commend the commitment and humanitarian spirit of SportAccord members who have made an exceptional and lasting contribution to using sport as a tool for positive social change. The Spirit of Sport Awards 2013 will be presented to the Laureates during the 11^th annual SportAccord convention in Saint-Petersburg, Russia in May 2013.

IF Programmes that focus on the following areas are encouraged:

• Sport and Child & Youth Development
• Sport and the Environment
• Sport and Gender
• Sport and Health
• Sport and Persons with Disabilities
• Sport and Peace

Only ONEproject and/or individual application per Member will be allowed in the 2013 edition of the Awards.

The application form may be downloaded here. Videos and pictures that illustrate the submitted application are very much appreciated. Please return the application form as well as any visual support files to Cátia Relíquias Teresa, catia.reliquiasteresa@sportaccord.com, Sports’ Social Responsibility Unit.

Further information about the Award

We look forward to receiving your applications for the Spirit of Sport Award 2013 and inform you that all applications will be uploaded on SportAccord’s Social Responsibility Map

The Amsterdam Declaration was tabled by International Olympic Committee (IOC) Commission for Culture and Olympic Education Chairman Lambis V. Nikolaou at the closing ceremony. It contains a set of recommendations that refer to a range of topics including the important role of the athletes’ entourage, next year’s fifth UNESCO World Sport Ministers Conference (MINEPS V), social media and educational programmes for athletes.

Among the action points contained in the Declaration, the participants called for making it an obligation for authorities to include values-based education and physical education in school curricula; for using of all types of media to send messages on sport, the Olympic values, education and healthy lifestyles as enshrined in the IOC’s Youth Strategy; for supporting the introduction and enhancement of educational programmes for athletes which equip them with employability skills necessary for their post-high performance careers; and for working with public authorities to protect sportspersons.

Read the full text of the Amsterdam Declaration here.

In line with the Conference motto “Olympism powered by Youth”, the debate featured numerous young speakers and Olympians. During a dedicated youth session, participants of the Youth Olympic Games and other young leaders presented action and ideas in regard to the empowerment of young people in various fields. The focus of the Conference this year was on the policies, practice and potential of sport and Olympism as they relate to culture and education.

With that in mind, representatives from the sporting community, the United Nations system, civil society organisations, special interest groups, academia, governments, non-governmental organisations, the corporate sector and the media were invited to attend and share their experiences in interactive plenary and dialogue sessions designed to encourage fruitful discussions.

“We have had a really excellent World Conference, and I would like to thank the organisers for their work,” said IOC President Jacques Rogge. “Our task at this Conference was to seek new and better ways to share the Olympic values and the benefits of sport with young people around the world. We need to speak to young people in their language and we need to go where they are, physically, but also in the virtual world on social media platforms. We have accomplished a lot this week in a very interactive and stimulating environment, and the Amsterdam Declaration will guide us in our way forward.”

Lambis V. Nikolaou, Chairman of the IOC’s Commission for Culture and Olympic Education Commission, said:
“I think we can all agree it was a highly productive Conference. Once again, the inclusion of young people in the programme proved to be a huge success. It is now up to us all to work together to bring to fruition the action plan adopted today, by showing young people that sport can help them to give the best of themselves.”

The Conference was organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee of the Netherlands (NOC*NSF) and the city of Amsterdam.

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For more information, please contact the IOC Media Relations Team:
Tel: +41 21 621 6000 e-mail: pressoffice@olympic.org, or visit our web site at www.olympic.org.

The theme of the 2012 IF Forum, organised exclusively for delegates from the International Federations, was “Increasing the Positive Impact of Your Event through Sustainable Event Management.” The Forum provided an overview of the current sports sustainability landscape by highlighting not only lessons from the Olympic Games but also the learnings of IFs in integrating sustainability into medium and smaller sized events. During two days of conference and workshop sessions, attendees shared concrete experiences, best practice, technical knowledge and practical tools.

The IF Forum is organised by SportAccord Convention in conjunction with SportAccord, the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) and the Association of Winter Olympic International Federations (AIOWF), with the support of the City of Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud. This year’s programme was shaped by SportAccord. 

During the Forum, as part of SportAccord’s ongoing commitment to supporting its members, a pilot of a Sport Sustainability E-Learning programme was launched at www.sport-sustainability.com. Developed mainly for IFs and National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the programme is an initiative of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord as principal partners, with the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology and Technology (AISTS) and Positive Impact as content providers.

The programme is available both online and in seminar format. Its content is relevant for both large and small federations, organising committees and all organisations involved in the planning for and staging of sports events.

The Sport Sustainability E-Learning is a principal pillar of SportAccord’s Sustainable Event Management Support, a five pillar strategy to support SportAccord members in making sustainability a key part of their organisations and events. SportAccord has developed turn-key services and tools in Training / Education, Implementation, Reporting, Assessment / Certification and Communication.

“It is SportAccord’s firm belief that this year’s Forum will be the start of an increased commitment of International Federations to managing the social, economic and environmental impact and opportunities of their events,” said Vincent Gaillard, Director General of SportAccord. “By understanding the social and business potential of embracing sustainability, IFs stand to increase brand value, enhance positive social impact, minimise negative environmental impact and foster balanced, enduring growth.”

The 2012 IF Forum, held at Lausanne’s Mövenpick Hotel, drew support from the following Official Partners: City of Auckland, City of Edmonton, Eurosport, IFM Sports, JLT Sport with the City of Lausanne and the Canton de Vaud as Host City Partners for the Forum once again.