Sep 20, 2015
Spanish Indoor football association AJFS and AJFSF are launching a campaign on gender equality #womenPlayfutsalfifia.
#WomenPlayFutsalFIFA, The movement that emerged the 12 of January 2015 to promote and support for once and for all FIFA to make female competitions real, OFFICIAL COMPETITIONS, the movment returns even stronger.
The players from all over the world are together and want to be heard, they are demanding equality and respect for what they do. They dedicate their time, effort for futsal. Therefore, they believe it is time that their competitions to be recognized.
They deserve the same treatment given to our colleagues:
Female football players: Recently celebrated there official World Cup in Canada.
Male futsal players: They also compete in European and International Official Competitions.
Why can´t futsal female players play an Official Championship and be regulated by FIFA? they feel discriminated as regard to female football and male futsal players and they are now fighting for equality.
It’s now the time to let their sport progress.
#WomenPlayFutsalFIFA
21 SEPTEMBER 2015
10.00 AM
Aug 26, 2015
The Federation of independent athletes associations representing over 25,000 professional athletes is Europe is releasing the second position paper.
EU Athletes continues to develop its work with the European institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg. We enjoy a constructive partnership with the European Commission and represent the membership on a range of EU Expert Groups. We also look to engage effectively with the Council of Ministers and European Parliament.
In 2014, at our General Assembly in Helsinki (Finland), EU Athletes members voted to update and revise our Commons Position Paper from 2012, to take on board new developments and the new challenges faced by our elite athletes.
In order to the respect the basic principles of good governance, a task force, composed by EU Athletes members, was created to submit a new Draft Common Position Paper that could be debated, amended and ultimately endorsed at the EU Athletes General Assembly in June 2015 in Bilbao (Spain).
For EU Athletes President Yves KUMMER involvement of members was crucial : “EU Athletes is owned by his members. They have the expertise and day-to-day relations with athletes. It was really helpful to include them in the drafting process. The work they have done is tremendous and our staff will now ensure that the democratic views of athletes are heard within Europe.”
For EU Athletes General Secretary Jean-François REYMOND this will help to measure the effectiveness and success of EU Policy in the field of sport : “At the moment, there is a worrying trend in EU Policy that is going against the protection of Athletes basic rights. The sport movement continues to press for an exemption from many of the fundamental rights that other workers and citizens enjoy. Data protection rights, rights to privacy and even the right to fair trials are all currently under threat. Sport needs to stop lobbying for exemptions and needs to up its game to ensure that it operates at a higher standard. Athletes must have the same rights as every other European citizen and employee.”
PDF- eua_common_pos_bdef
Jul 2, 2015
GIBA President is a new board member of EU Athletes.
EU Athletes General Assembly took place last week in Bilbao (Spain) and Alessandro Marzoli was elected as a new member of the board of EU athletes.
After the election M.Marzoli said : “It is a great honor to be part of EU Athletes board and have the chance to work with a very professional team. I will put all my efforts to represent Italy and to propose new ways of athletes involvement in the decision making process that have been tested in these years with Italian basketball players. “
For Jean-François Reymond EU Athletes General Secretary the election of A.Marzoli in the board was the continuation of a long standing tradition of having Italian representative in the board of EU Athletes : “Since EU Athletes was created in 2008, we always had Italian representative in our board, it’s just the logic continuation of the work they have done in their country over the last couple of years, I’m looking forward to work with Alessandro and GIBA.”
The next EU Athletes board meeting will take place in October in Amsterdam.
Jun 28, 2015
28 player associations from around Europe gathered in Bilbao – Spain- to discuss about matchfixing and prevention.
During 3 days, 38 members from 28 different players associations were together in Bilbao to receive an education package delivered by EU Athletes and his partners, RGA, ESSA, EGBA and Love Media.
#PROtectintegrity2 is the continuation of the preparatory action in the field of sport supported by the European commission in 2012. The aim of this project is educate and teach players on the risks of match-fixing.
Tutor training delivered directly in the locker room by EU Athletes members is the key to the success of this program. Player associations will now add a social media campaign run by Love Media to the face to face education .
The goal of EU Athletes is to make sure that all professional and top elite athletes are aware of the rules in their country and in their own sport.
Jun 8, 2015
This paper presents the agreed position of EU Athletes and UNI Europa on Good Governance according to the agenda of the EU Expert Group and the topic of Major Sporting Events.
EU Athletes is strongly supportive of greater sustainability, higher protection standards of human and workers’ rights and overall better governance of both the awarding and running of mega sporting events to the mutual benefit of the athletes, sport industry and communities in the host cities/countries.
Recent developments have once again highlighted the need for good governance to be integral to the running of sports federations, particularly with regards to the awarding of sporting events and financial transparency. It is essential that sports federations are subject to international and national laws on corruption and bribery. These need to be effectively enforced. We do believe that equal opportunity is relevant to good governance. Therefore, major sport events should be an unmissable opportunity for women athletes to develop their full potential in a genderfriendly
environment.
MSEs provide a perfect context for increasing female athletes’ visibility, and bringing their issues to the centre of attention. That may only be conceivable if sustainable gender equality policies are established and strictly respected leading to concrete changes. We are also convinced that any economic legacy from major events must be built on sound and responsible economic and business policies with regards to accepted frameworks such as the UN Global Compact 10 guiding principles.
The high profile and monopolistic position of the sports federations is cause to require higher standards of governance, not least importantly the recognition of athletes, who participate in mega sport events, as workers. In many sporting events athletes are being deprived from recognition of their employee status, despite earning significant income, both directly and indirectly by playing or participating in their sports during those events and providing their labour in subordination to sport
organizations or clubs.
In this regard we would like to make the following recommendations for the deliverable related to “awarding of Major Sport Events, especially in relation to democracy, human rights and labour rights “ of the Expert Group:
Regarding athletes’ rights:
There needs to be a specific section on athletes’ rights within the recommendations of the Expert Group. This should include :
- The collective and individual workers’ and human rights of athletes must be respected during the major sport events
- Sport organization may not deprive the athletes of their right to commercialize their IPR during and around the event without compensation. Athletes’ contribution to the commercial value should allow them to significantly participate in the generated revenue.
- The athletes’ freedom of speech and the freedom of association in and around the events may not be infringed.
- The provision of a safe, viable (ie social security provisions) and protected working
- environment for athletes should be recognized as an absolute duty of the competition organizer *.
* Study on epidemiology of injury in sport olympics, 2008, 2010, 2012. At least 11% of the athletes incurred an injury during the olympic games and 7% of the athletes’ an illness. Future initiatives should include the development of preventive measures tailored for each specific sport and the continued focus among sport bodies to institute and further develop scientific injury and illness surveillance systems.
For sporting organization:
Given the monopolistic nature of the sport movement it must be subject higher standards of governance, amongst others with regards to participation in collective bargaining, revenue sharing, transparency, sustainability, democracy, fundamental rights and anti-corruption. There is an urgent need for appropriate checks and balances to overcome the potential for exploitation of a dominant market position. The recognition of trade unions must be the number one recommendation.
- The stakeholders who contribute to the economic base of a sport must be recognised and a well-governed sport organisation must be accountable to their stakeholders including the athletes
- Well governed sports organisation respect the basic individual and collective rights of the athletes, including the freedom of association and embrace partnership with them through their professional association and collective bargaining
- Improve transparency and democracy: corruption and conflicts of interest in sport have a substantial and negative impact on the position of sports people, all actors in sport must tackle this problem and the Commission has an important role to play in promoting European values within international sports federations.
- Elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour and of the discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Participation in Olympic Games, World Championships or other major sporting events is an ultimate goal of most of athletes. It is essential to point out that organizing an event in breach of basic human rights principles goes not only against the values of sport but also against personal values of athletes.
The lack of employment stability and the sanctions imposed by some federations in the case of an athlete’s non-participation with his national team, are forcing them to compete in those events with no other options. No objection is possible since these major events are their only means of subsistence and the only places where their sport results may allow them to gain money afterwards. This abuse of a dominant market position strongly infringes with athletes’ economic rights.
Apr 25, 2015
Our member HPVPA, has just informed us of the renewal of their Board. Here is the list of their full board.
President: Psarras Athanasios
1st Vice President: Pantaleon Sotiris
2nd Vice President: Papafotiou Athina (Female)
Secretary General: Dimitriadis Anestis
Secretary Assistant: Giota Ekaterina (Female)
Treasurer: Stefanou Giorgos
Member: Terzis Athanasios
Member: Kanellos Makis
Member: Papadimitriou Thanos
During the last months HPVPA had starting the process of refreshing their Association new web site – (www.pasap.eu), new logo, new moto.
