On the Scene in Lima - Sport is a Human Right, Says Rogge

(ATR) President Jacques Rogge issues a call to action at the opening of the IOC’s 15th World Conference on Sport for All.

After greetings from Peruvian Olympic Committee President Jose Quinones, IOC member Ivan Dibos, Peruvian Sports Institute President Francisco Boza and Sport for All Commission Chair Sam Ramsamy, the IOC chief took the stage Wednesday to welcome more than 350 international delegates to Lima.

Among the attendees to the four-day event are IOC members, NOC leaders, federation officials as well as representatives from governments, NGOs and non-profits.

"We all have a stake in making sport more accessible because sport is not just good for individuals, it is good for society," Rogge said in English after showing off his Spanish skills.

"The benefits of sport and physical activity are well-known and widely accepted. Our challenge is to transform that knowledge into action through our own deeds and by convincing others to do their part."

After referencing such Sport for All initiatives as Olympic Day, OlympAfrica and the IOC’s Youth Olympic Development Centers, he concluded the Olympic Movement is quite active across all three of this week’s themes – social benefits, sports facilities and public spaces as well as partnerships.

However, there’s much work still to do, Rogge told delegates, insisting sports organizations cannot do the job alone.

"The call to action at the 14th World Conference on Sport for All in Beijing two years ago recognized the important role that governments, education institutes and non-governmental organizations can play in promoting sport and physical activity," he said, citing the Olympic Movement’s frequent collaboration with the United Nations on projects such as London 2012’s partnership with UNICEF to promote legacy program International Inspiration.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to Lima to share ideas and to learn from each other," the IOC president closed.

"Let us leave more determined than ever to bring sport for all."

Sport for All Grants

As with two years ago in Beijing, the IOC chose three winners to receive Sport for All Grants, one for each of the week’s three themes.

For social benefits, Ramsamy and his colleagues on the Sport for All Commission stayed local, honoring La Escuela Sociodeportiva Martin Luther King in Peru.

For sports facilities and public spaces, the Football Foundation of South Africa took home the check on behalf of its Spaces for Sport initiative.

And for partnerships, Fight for Peace’s Global Alumni Program out of Rio de Janeiro will receive IOC funding to effect change among young people in crime-ridden communities through boxing, education and personal development.

After posing for photos with Rogge and Ramsamy, representatives from the three grant winners later returned to the stage for a panel discussion moderated by Nick Zeller of Beyond Sport.

Also during Wednesday’s opening session, Luis Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank spoke to the power of sport as social capital, Cathryn Volkering Carlile from the City of Richmond highlighted the Community Legacy Program left over from the Olympic Oval’s role in Vancouver 2010, and Miraflores Mayor Jorge Munoz explained his district's dedication to a healthy lifestyle.

On Tap for Thursday...

Delegates will begin bright and early by visiting one of four Sport for All initiatives in Lima.

It’s back to the Daniel Alcides Carrión Convention Centre in the afternoon for several sessions before a Peruvian "dining experience" – as Thursday’s dinner is billed – to cap off the evening’s entertainment.

Reported in Lima by Matthew Grayson.

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