European Year of Education through Sport EYES 2004

PURPOSE: To establish the European Year of Education through Sport 2004. CONTENT: Over 600 000 sporting clubs in Europe attest to the social importance of Sport. Sport, itself is an integral part of the teaching curriculum and itself contains essential educational values. A Commission Report into education system highlights the need to improve the preparation of teaching staff responsible for physical education and to better define its contents. Further, sport is an invaluable instrument which contributes to attaining the objectives of the COMENIUS programme, i.e to promote education in a multicultural framework, support disadvantaged groups, counter school failure and head off social exclusion. In December 1999 the Council asked the Commission to devise, in conjunction with the Member States, actions to tap the potential of sport in parallel education. Accordingly, the Commission proposes the creation of the European Year of Education through Sport in 2004. The objectives would be: - to made education and sports organisations aware of the need for co-operation; - to consider the use of the values conveyed through sport to develop the so-called basic educational skills whereby young people in particular can develop their physical prowess and also social competences such as working as part of a team, solidarity, tolerance and fair play; - to stress the positive contribution of voluntary activity to parallel education, particularly that of young people and to the development of the sporting movement; - to promote mobility and pupil exchanges particularly in a multicultural environment and through the organisation of sporting and cultural contacts as part of school activity; - to encourage reflection and discussion on what needs to be done to promote the social integration of the disadvantaged groups through sport in education; - to encourage sport in the school curriculum in order to fight against the sedentary nature of the school population and to contribute to the physical well-being of pupils; - to consider the problems relating to the education of young sportsmen and sports women concerned by ever earlier sporting careers. Actions covering these objectives could focus on the organisation of meetings and events; the organisation of voluntary actions on the occasion of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Athens; information and promotional campaigns to disseminate the educational values of sport; co-operation with the media; surveys and reports; events designed to provide information and, in particular, examples of good practice; the granting of financial support for transnational, national, regional or local initiatives to promote the objectives of the European Year of Education through Sport. The proposed budget would be EUR 11.500 million and will be allocated for the year 2003 and 2004. In order for obtain optimal success the Commission envisages widespread participation by the Member States as well as national sports organisations. To conclude, with Greece hosting the 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the European FootballChampionship, the Commission is of the firm opinion that it would be both right and appropriate to hold the European Year of Education through Sport in 2004.�