This declaration represents our commitment to go beyond
discussion and to establish clear rules of conduct in the pursuit
of the positive values in youth sport.
We declare that:
1. We will promote the positive values in youth sport
more actively with sustained effort and good planning.
In training and competition we will aim for four major
objectives in a balanced way: the development of motor (technical,
tactical) competence, a healthy and safe competitive style, a
positive self-concept, and good social skills. In this we will be
guided by the needs of children.
- We believe that striving to excel and to win and to experience
both success and pleasure, and failure and frustration, are all
part and parcel of competitive sport. We will give children the
opportunity to cultivate and to integrate (within the structure,
the rules and the limits of the game) this in their performance and
will help them to manage their emotions.
- We will give special attention to the guidance and education of
children according to those models which value ethical and
humanistic principles in general and fair-play in sport in
particular.
- We will ensure that children are included in the decision
making about their sport.
2. We will continue our effort to eliminate all forms of
discrimination in youth sport.
This coheres with the fundamental ethical principle of equality,
which requires social justice, and equal distribution of resources.
Late developers, the disabled and less talented children will be
offered similar chances to practise sport and be given the same
professional attention available to early developers, able-bodied,
and more talented children without discrimination by gender, race
or culture.
3. We recognise and adopt the fact that sports also can
produce negative effects and that preventive and curative measures
are needed to protect children.
- We will maximise the child's psychological and physical health
through our efforts to prevent cheating, doping, abuse and
exploitation, and to help children to overcome the possible
negative effects of these.
- We accept that the importance of children's social environment
and of the motivational climate is still underestimated. We will
therefore develop, adopt and implement a code of conduct with
clearly defined responsibilities for all stakeholders in the
network around youth sport: sport governing bodies, sport leaders,
parents, educators, trainers, sport managers, administrators,
medical doctors, physical therapists, dieticians, psychologists,
top athletes, children themselves, etc.
- We strongly recommend that the establishment of bodies on
appropriate levels to govern this code should be seriously
considered.
- We encourage registration and accreditation systems for
trainers and coaches.
4. We welcome the support of sponsors and media but
believe that this support should be in accordance with the major
objectives of youth sport.
- We welcome sponsorship from organisations and companies only
when this does not conflict with the pedagogical process, the
ethical basis of sport and the major objectives of youth
sport.
- We believe that the function of the media is not only to be
re-active, i.e. holding the mirror up to the problems of our
society, but also to be pro-active, i.e. stimulating, educational
and innovative.
5. We therefore formally endorse 'The Panathlon Charter
on the Rights of the Child in Sport'. All children have the
right
- to practise sports
- to enjoy themselves and to play
- to live in a healthy environment
- to be treated with dignity
- to be trained and coached by competent people
- to take part in training that is adapted to their age,
individual rhythm and competence
- to match themselves against children of the same level in a
suitable competition
- to practise sport in safe conditions
- to rest
- to have the opportunity to become a champion, or not to be a
champion
All this can only be achieved when governments, sports
federations, sports agencies, sports goods industries, media,
business, sport scientists, sport managers, trainers, parents and
children endorse this declaration.
GHENT, 24 September 2004
