EUROPEAN COMMISSION
DIRECTORATE-GENERAL X
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION, CULTURE AND AUDIOVISUAL MEDIA
Audiovisual policy, culture and sport
Sport
Brussels, 22 April 1999
Version 2
First European Conference on Sport - Olympia, 21 and 22 May 1999
THE EUROPEAN MODEL OF SPORT
Discussion paper for the Working Group
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1.
INTRODUCTION
The European Commission would first of all like to specify what issues will be up
for discussion and consideration at the European Conference on Sport. Following
the Bosman judgment, the number of matters involving the world of sport has
rocketed, in particular issues relating to competition policy. A large number of
complaints have also been received on matters relating to freedom of movement,
among them questions concerning recognition of qualifications.
In view of this increase in the number of new cases raised, the Member States
decided to annex a declaration on sport to the Amsterdam Treaty. It focuses on
two principles:

it emphasises the social importance of sport in Europe;

it calls on the Community institutions to listen to sports associations before
taking any decision concerning them.
The Commission is well aware of the complexity of sport and has therefore
decided to hold wide-ranging consultations in order to analyse the development of
sport in Europe; under the impact of economic and commercial trends, some of
the values inherent in sporting activities could be in danger.
This transparent and democratic process has been shown to be all the more
appropriate by the resolution of the Vienna European Council calling on the
Commission to present, to the Helsinki European Council in December 1999, a
report on the situation of sport in Europe with a view to safeguarding current
structures and to preserving the social dimension of sport.
The Commission has approached the task at two different levels. Commission staff
are conducting an internal review, which has already produced a working
document entitled " The development and prospects for Community action in the
field of sport". In it the Commission discusses for the first time the specific
features of sport. It states:
"Sport is unique in that it performs five functions:
- an educational function: active participation in sport is an excellent way of
ensuring balanced personal development for all age groups;
- a public health function: physical activity offers an opportunity to improve
people's health; it is an effective means of combating certain illnesses such as
heart disease and cancer and can help to maintain good health and quality of life
among the elderly;
- a social function: sport is a suitable tool for promoting a more inclusive society
and for combating intolerance, racism, violence, alcohol and drug abuse; sport
can also assist in the integration of people excluded from the labour market;
- a cultural function: sport gives people an additional opportunity to put down
roots, to get to know an area better, to integrate better and to protect the
environment to a greater degree;
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- a recreational function: sporting activity is an important leisure occupation and
provides personal and collective entertainment.
The second strand of the Commission's action is the communications from Mr
Oreja and Mr Van Miert clarifying the way in which the Commission will respond
to the call from the European Council and setting out their first thoughts on
possible guidelines for applying the competition rules to sport.
It must be stressed that the Commission has no intention of proposing a single
model for the organisation of sport in Europe, let alone of launching any new
legislative initiatives. It takes the view that the present treaties provide legal
instruments that are more than adequate for the objectives set in the European
Council resolution on sport. In the light of the report presented in Helsinki, it will
be for the European Council to set the new political objectives for the Union in
matters of sport.
2.
A EUROPEAN MODEL
The organisation of sport in Europe has many characteristics common to all
States. Sport is practised mostly in sports clubs, grouped into regional sports
federations managed by national federations, which are in turn organised into
European federations directly under the authority of a world federation. It should
be pointed out that the vast majority of world sports federations were set up in
Europe. Take the case of basketball: although the game was discovered by the
North Americans, the international federation was set up in Europe.
Another basic feature of competitive sport in Europe is the promotion/relegation
system. In theory, teams can start at the lowest rung of the ladder in a regional
competition and by dint of sporting merit alone they can reach the top and play in
European competitions.
In Europe the role played by clubs is of prime importance because they form the
base of the European sports pyramid. This has led to the spontaneous
development of internal solidarity between the most powerful clubs and those in
the lower categories. Within one and the same club it is possible to take part in
different sports. Clubs are closely linked to a community and accordingly they are
clearly identified with that community. They have become a sign of cultural and
social identity for some sections of the population.
The work done by clubs and federations has considerable social value: their
activities enable the members of communities to practise a sport and they
encourage contacts between localities in the same region or even the same
country. Seen from this point of view, sport undeniably plays a role in social
integration and advancement.
3.
SOLIDARITY
Another feature of sport is the two-way internal solidarity. Solidarity should exist
between clubs and players in the same category, thereby making competition more
attractive for both spectators and participants. This is another characteristic
specific to sport: in a competition it is important to win, but the aim is never to
eliminate the opponent because that would mean the end of competition.
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Solidarity should also be vertical: between the different levels of the same
federation. Top-level sport thus serves to promote sport and attract new
participants. As long as the pyramid has a broad base, the future of sport will be
safe. Some of the profits generated by professional sport should therefore be
reinvested in promotion and in the lower categories.
The role played by football shows how solidarity works in Europe. This sport
occupies a position of pre-eminence and leadership in relation to other sports. But
it is also true, in some States at least, that football has a crucial role to play in
terms of solidarity. The money generated by betting on football is used to help
other sports.
The arrival of new types of competition which do not apply the principles of
internal solidarity could endanger the internal equilibrium of European sport. This
issue should be analysed in detail because it could determine the whole future of
European sport. A crack in the system could have an unforeseen impact on all
sport, given the considerable economic interdependence between football and
other sports, as pointed out above.
4.
THE ROLE OF SPORTS FEDERATIONS
The role of sports federations is another key factor in all these matters.
Federations are no longer exclusively concerned with regulations and the
promotion of sport; they are in fact becoming service companies, organising
major sporting events with huge budgets.
The matter becomes complicated when most federations receive not only public
funds but also funds from sponsorship and from television contracts, which are
never negotiated in total transparency. An undertaking by sports federations to
award sponsorship and television contracts by public award procedures could help
to secure agreement on certain exemptions already allowed by the Treaties.
Consideration should first be given to the definition of a "sports federation". In
some countries this does not present any problem, because they have adopted a
legal definition of a sports federation and established a register of sports
federations. In other countries, the definition is less precise: federations have their
names entered in the general registers for associations. A first step towards
clarification would be for each Member State to draw up a list of its sports
federations with the European and world counterparts
Federations must also act to help ease the enormous pressure on competitors.
Better planning of fixtures and events and the dropping of practices such as
measuring the success of a sports organisation by the number of medals won - and
here the States must take their share of the blame - would make for a healthier
atmosphere in the world of sport.
5.
THE CHALLENGES FOR EUROPEAN SPORT
At this point in time, European sport must face up to four major challenges:
5.1
Excessive commercialisation
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European sport must find a balance between sport as an economic activity
and sport as a factor of social promotion. Allowing all sport to be
organised with only profit in mind will have disastrous effects on sport.
Although the new economic framework makes for considerable profits,
due regard must be had for the principles of the sports ethic and for the
athlete. The same goes for excessive nationalism in sport.
5.2
Protection of the young
Sport for young people should help them to learn how to fit into society.
But talented young sports people are being increasingly manipulated.
Special attention should be paid to this age group in order to safeguard
their health and to provide them with a proper education and training.
5.3
The fight against doping
It is not necessary to dwell too long on this topic since one of the
Conference workshops will be devoted to it alone. Public assistance for
sports organisations should be made conditional on action plans to fight
this scourge.
5.4
Economic interpenetration
Since sport has become an important economic vector, there is nothing
unusual in the fact that it attracts big investors such as the media
conglomerates. This matter will be dealt with by the workshop on relations
between sport and television. Interpenetration must not transform sport
into an exclusively economic activity and thereby distort the sporting
identity.
6.
THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF SPORT
The resolution of the Vienna European Council refers to the maintenance of the
social function of sport within a Community framework. The Commission believes
that the European Treaties are not an obstacle to the development of the social
dimension of sport. On the contrary, Community policies and measures may
embrace sporting activities and can help give them a European dimension.
Statistics can serve to explain this social dimension of sport in Europe. A survey
conducted by Commission departments shows that, of the young people who are
members of an association, 54% of them have joined a sports association. The
social role of sport in our society is thus undeniable.
The fundamentals of this social dimension are as follows:

promote the international dimension of European sport in the framework of the
Union's external relations;

ensure that sport is more present in schools and at university;

integrate disabled people, numbering nearly 37 million in Europe;

contribute to the integration of women in active sport;
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
make use of sport in employment policies while preserving the important role
played by volunteers;

promote sporting activities as part of social integration policies, with measures
in poorer districts;

organise sporting activities as part of public health measures, with special
reference to the elderly;

integrate sport into environmental education programmes;

develop studies and projects, within the research programme, to improve
knowledge in the area of sport as regards both persons and sports equipment.
7.
THE RESPONSES TO THE CHALLENGES
European sport and the public authorities must consider how to meet these
challenges if sport is to be developed harmoniously while keeping its identity.
The response by European sport should include the following:
–
transparency and equal opportunities should be introduced for the various
operators who take part in the selection and award procedures conducted by
sports federations, in particular for the sale of television rights or sponsorship;
–
appropriate arrangements to ensure internal solidarity should make genuine
competition possible between participants in the same category (not only the
sale of television rights but also other corrective factors) and the profits from
top-level sport should be redistributed in order to support promotion and
development programmes for each sport;
–
sports organisations should study the role to be played by the various bodies
concerned:
autonomy
of
the
professional
leagues
within
a
federation,
distinction between rule-making and promotional activities, on the one hand,
and the organisation of competitions, on the other, etc;
–
adequate provision should be made for the protection of young athletes. This is
of paramount importance and a different approach should be taken to each
sport. In some sports an 18 year-old can already be ruled out of top-level
competition while for others of the same age it is only the beginning of their
career;
–
programmes to fight doping should be set up to meet the needs of each sport.
These programmes should include out-of-competition checks, as well as
prevention and education schemes;
–
the activities of sports federations should be adjusted to society's new
requirements; the structure and organisation of competitions appear to be out
of line with contemporary society and call for new services and new formulas.
8.
POINTS FOR DISCUSSION
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Participants at the European Conference on Sport are requested to base their
discussions on the following:
8.1
The factors which make sport unique and the characteristics of European
sport should be defined: democracy, voluntary participation, organisation
on a regional basis (new approaches here), the promotion/relegation
system and the pyramid structure. The threats to the system, possible
solutions and the importance of having one federation per sport should also
be discussed.
8.2
The fight against over-commercialisation and/or the politicisation of sport.
The principles underlying the sports ethic which must be retained. The
necessary balance between economic gain and sporting activity. Too many
competitions and congested fixture lists. The protection of national teams,
the uniqueness of European sport.
8.3
The dynamics of solidarity within sport. The requisite solidarity (equal
opportunities) between participants in the same system: selling of television
rights, salary cap, the draft system. Solidarity between top-level sport and
grassroots sport; the redistribution of profits.
8.4
Management and award of major contracts (sponsorship and television
rights) by sports federations; the introduction of transparency, equal
opportunities for the firms involved, objective award criteria in respect of
contracts, life-span of agreements.
8.5
Adjustment of the services provided by federations to meet society's new
demands. The evolving concept of sport for all, access to new forms of
competition.
8.6
Protection of young sportsmen and sportswomen: health and education.
Programmes and measures to protect young people, measures which could
be adopted by the federations from a medical and educational point of
view.
8.7
Problems
arising
from
the
economic
interpenetration
of
sports
organisations and strictly commercial interests. Maintenance of the nature
and functions of sports organisations. The conditions for maintaining the
uncertainty of results as sport's best asset from the spectator's viewpoint.
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