Ensuring equal chances through sport participation as a social policy element

The conference was attended by experts from EU countries, representing public administration bodies, the academic community and non-governmental organisations. Among the invited guests were: Irena Szewińska, member of the International Olympic Committee; Raija Mattila, co-chair of the International Working Group on Women and Sport (IWS); Clémence Ross, former sports minister in The Netherlands, CEO of NISB (The Netherlands Institute for Sport and Physical Activity), President of De Graafschap football club; Gudrun Doll-Tepper, vice-president of the German Olympic Committee; Katarzyna Rogowiec, two-time Paralympic gold medallist in cross-country skiing in Turin (2006), Vice Chairperson of the International Paralympic Committee’s Athletes Council; Grażyna Rabszyn, former world record holder in 100m hurdles, currently Director of the Centre for Olympic Education; Kajetan Broniewski, Olympic brown medallist in rowing (single sculls, 1992, Barcelona), and other outstanding sports personalities.

The conference was opened by Sport and Tourism Minister Adam Giersz who emphasised the significance of sport as an effective tool in counteracting social exclusion and promoting equal opportunities for all members of the society. Minister Giersz also recalled that since 2008 the Ministry of Sport and Tourism has been implementing the government project ‘My Sports Field – Orlik 2012’ whose aim is to ensure equal access to sport to all Polish citizens.

The Mayor of Wrocław Rafał Dutkiewicz also underlined the integrating role of sport as a key element of social policy, in recent years particularly valued and developed in Wrocław, the capital of Lower Silesia region, as confirmed by the size of budget allocated to sport.

The debate focused on the role of sport in ensuring equal opportunities for elderly persons, national minorities, women, convicts and persons with disabilities, and stressed the need for promoting and developing sport for all and ensuring to all social groups equal access to physical activity. The necessity to properly tailor measures addressed to different target groups and to ensure appropriate professional qualifications was also emphasised. The need to ensure that leadership positions in the sport sector are held both by men and women representing all social groups was discussed too.

In the experience-sharing part of the conference, numerous examples of programmes implemented in European countries were presented. As Poland’s flagship project, the programme ‘My Sports Field – Orlik 2012’ was presented, together with a sociological analysis of its impact on the development of social involvement in the country.

In the concluding session of the conference, a document was drafted containing guidelines on large-scale 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 Wrocław Municipal Office.