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International Charter of Physical Education and Sport
21 November 1978 |
Preamble
The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, meeting in Paris at its twentieth session, this twenty-first day of November 1978,
Recalling that in the United Nations Charter the peoples proclaimed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and affirmed their determination to promote social progress and better standards of life,
Recalling that by the terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other consideration,
Convinced that one of the essential conditions for the effective exercise of human rights is that everyone should be free to develop and preserve his or her physical, intellectual and moral powers, and that access to physical education and sport should consequently be assured and guaranteed for all human beings,
Convinced that to preserve and develop the physical, intellectual and moral powers of the human being improves the quality of life at the national and the international levels,
Believing that physical education and sport should make a more effective contribution to the inculcation of fundamental human values underlying the full development of peoples,
Stressing accordingly that physical education and sport should seek to promote closer communion between peoples and between individuals, together with disinterested emulation, solidarity and fraternity, mutual respect and understanding, and full respect for the integrity and dignity of human beings,
Considering that responsibilities and obligations are incumbent upon the industrialized countries and the developing countries alike for reducing the disparity which continues to exist between them in respect of free and universal access to physical education and sport,
Considering that to integrate physical education and sport in the natural environment is to enrich them and to inspire respect of the earth's resources and a concern to conserve them and use them for the greater good of humanity as a whole,
Taking into account the diversity of the forms of training and education exist-ing in the world, but noting that, notwithstanding the differences between national. sports structures, it is clearly evident that physical education and sport are not confined to physical well-being and health but also contribute to the full and well-balanced development of the human being,
Taking into account, furthermore, the enormous efforts that have to be made before the right to physical education and sport can become a reality for all human beings,
Stressing the, importance for peace and friendship among peoples of co-operation between the international governmental and non-governmental organizations responsible for physical education and sport,
Proclaims this International Charter for the purpose of placing the development of physical education and sport at the service of human progress, promoting their development, and urging governments, competent nongovernmental organizations, educators, families and individuals themselves to be guided thereby, to disseminate it and to put it into practice.
Article 1. The practice of physical education and sport is a fundamental right for all
1.1. Every human being has a fundamental right of access to physical education and sport, which are essential for the full development of his personality. The freedom to develop physical, intellectual and moral powers through physical education and sport must be guaranteed both within the educational system and in other aspects of social life.
1.2. Everyone must have full opportunities, in accordance with his national tradition of sport, for practicing physical education and sport, developing his physical fitness and attaining a level of achievement in sport which corresponds to his gifts.
1.3. Special, opportunities must be made available for young people, including children of pre-school age, for the aged and for the handicapped to develop their personalities to the full through physical education and sport programmes suited to their requirements.
Article 2. Physical education and sport form an essential element of lifelong education in the overall education system
2.1. Physical education and sport, as an essential dimension of education and culture, must develop the abilities, will power and self-discipline of every human being as a fully integrated member of society. The continuity of physical activity and the practice of sports must be ensured throughout life by means of a global, lifelong and democratized education.
2.2. At the individual level, physical education and sport contribute to the maintenance and improvement of health, provide a wholesome leisure-time occupation and enable man to overcome the drawbacks of modern living. At the community level, they enrich social relations and develop fair play, which is essential not only to sport itself but also to life in society.
2.3. Every overall education system must assign the requisite place and importance to physical education and sport in order to establish a balance and strengthen links between physical activities and other components of education.
Article 3. Physical education and sport programmes must meet individual and social needs
3.1. Physical education and sport programmes must be designed to suit the requirements and personal characteristics of those practicing them, as well as the institutional, cultural, socio-economic and climatic conditions of each country. They must give priority to the requirements of disadvantaged groups in society.
3.2. In the process of education in general, physical education and sport pro-grammes must, by virtue of both their content and their timetables, help to create habits and behavior patterns conducive to full development of the human person.
3.3. Even when it has spectacular features, competitive sport must always aim, in accordance with the Olympic ideal, to serve the purpose of educational sport, of which it represents the crowning epitome. It must in no way be influenced by profit-seeking commercial interests.
Article 4. Teaching, coaching and administration of physical education and sport should be performed by qualified personnel
4.1. All personnel who assume professional responsibility for physical education and sport must have appropriate qualifications and training. They must be carefully selected in sufficient numbers and given preliminary as well as further training to ensure that they reach adequate levels of specialization.
4.2. `Voluntary personnel', given appropriate training and supervision, can make an invaluable contribution to the comprehensive development of sport and encourage the participation of the population in the practice and organization of physical and sport activities.
4.3. Appropriate structures must be established for the training of personnel for physical education and sport. Personnel who have received such training must be given a status in keeping with the duties they perform.
Article 5. Adequate facilities and equipment are essential to physical education and sport
5.1. Adequate and sufficient facilities and equipment must be provided and installed to meet the needs of intensive and safe participation in both in-school and out-of-school programmes concerning physical education and sport.
5.2. It is incumbent on governments, public authorities, schools and appropriate private agencies, at all levels, to join forces and plan together so as to provide and make optimum use of installations, facilities and equipment for physical education and sport.
5.3. It is essential that plans for rural and urban development include provision for long-term needs in the matter of installations, facilities and equipment for physical education and sport, taking into account the opportunities offered by the natural environment.
Article 6. Research and evaluation are indispensable components of the development of physical education and sport
6.1. Research and evaluation in physical education and sport should make for the progress of all forms of sport and help to bring about an improvement in the health and safety of participants as well as in training methods and organization and management procedures. The education system will thereby benefit from innovations calculated to develop better teaching methods and standards of performance.
6.2. Scientific research, whose social implications in this sphere should not be overlooked, must be oriented in such a way that it does not allow of improper applications to physical education and sport.
Article 7. Information' and documentation help to promote physical education and sport
7.1. The collection, provision and dissemination of information and documentation on physical education sport constitute a major -necessity. In particular, there is a need to circulate information on the results of research and evaluation studies concerning programmes, experiments and activities.
Article 8. The mass media should exert a positive influence on physical education and sport
8.1 Without prejudice to the right of freedom of information, it is essential that everyone involved in the mass media be fully conscious of his responsibilities having regard to the social importance, the humanistic purpose and the moral values embodied in physical education and sport.
8.2. Relations between those involved in the mass media and specialists in physical education and sport must be close and based on mutual confidence in order to exercise a positive influence on physical education and sport and to ensure objective and well-founded information. Training of personnel for the media may include elements relating to physical education and sport.
Article 9. National institutions play a major role in physical education and sport
9.1. It is essential that -public authorities at all levels and specialized non-governmental bodies encourage those physical education and sport activities whose educational value is most- evident. Their action shall consist in enforcing legislation and regulations, providing material assistance, and adopting all other measures of encouragement, stimulation and control. The public authorities will also ensure that such fiscal measures are adopted as may encourage these activities.
9.2. It is incumbent on all institutions responsible for physical education and sport to promote a consistent, overall and decentralized plan of action in the framework of lifelong education so as to allow for continuity and coordination between _compulsory physical activities and those practiced freely and spontaneously.
Article 10. International co-operation is a prerequisite for the universal and well-balanced promotion of physical education and sport
10.1. It is essential that States and those, international and regional intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in which interested countries are represented and which are responsible for physical education and sport give physical education and sport greater prominence in international bilateral and multilateral co-operation.
10.2. International co-operation must be prompted by wholly disinterested movies in order to promote and stimulate endogenous development in this field.
10.3. Through co-operation and the pursuit of mutual interests in the universal language of physical education and sport, all peoples will contribute to the preservation of lasting peace, mutual respect and friendship and will thus create a propitious climate for solving international problems. Close collaboration between all interested national and international govern-mental and non-governmental agencies, based on respect for the specific competence of each, will necessarily encourage the development of physical education and sport throughout the world.
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