The celebration of the World Fair Play Day and the 2nd Award Ceremony ‘Fair Play for Peace’ of the EFPM took place at the Gothic Hall of the City Hall of Brussels.
Present at the celebration were the President of the International Fair Play Committee, Yeno Kamuti, the Past President of Panathlon International Pierre Zappelli and the President of Panathlon Club Wallonie-Bruxelles and the European Fair Play Movement, Philippe Housiaux.
The ceremony was marked by an exceptional moment.
Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees was awarded the ‘Fair Play for Peace’ prize by the European Fair Play Movement in recognition of her work to highlight the impact of sport in spreading the positive values of peace and solidarity around the world. The Prize, awarded annually to an institution or association, highlights the positive impact of sport in spreading these essential values on a global scale.
This award underlines UNHCR's unwavering commitment to initiatives such as the ‘More than a game’ strategy, which promotes sport, not only as a form of entertainment, but as a powerful tool to promote peace, the inclusion of refugees in host communities and the creation of bonds of solidarity between people.
‘The office of the High Commissioner for Refugees should not exist if our world lived in harmony and peace,’ Philippe Housiaux stressed. ‘Unfortunately, 120 million forcibly displaced persons remind us daily how incapable our society is of finding acceptable human solutions. By awarding this prize, the European Fair Play Movement modestly recognises the immense hope represented by the work of the UNHCR: that of welcoming these forcibly displaced people to prepare for Peace’.
The first meeting of the International Board and the President's Committee, following the first one after the elections in Agrigento, will be held at the international headquarters in Rapallo on 12 and 13 September.
Among the topics on the agenda: the appointment of the new treasurer, the Commissions, and the distribution of the delegations. The budget and the possible convocation of an extraordinary assembly will also be discussed. Two days of intense work to face in the best way the objectives for the next four-year period.
International President Giorgio Chinellato successfully took part in the event organised on 2 August in Paris together with the other IOC-recognised associations: Pierre de Coubertin International Committee (CIPC) - International Fair Play Committee (CIFP) - International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) where, together with Pierre Zappelli, Maurizio Monego, Christian Garrabos and Marc Rozenblat (see photo) the possibilities for future a collaboration have been deepened.
He went to "Casa Italia" where he was able to see the implementation of the project launched together with District Italy and the Colors for peace Association with the projection of short films presenting our movement.
Giorgio Costa President of District Italy also flew to Casa Italia to meet with CONI officials who welcomed Panathlon International and District Italy to the House of Italian Sport at the Olympics.
We are excited to announce that today 2nd of August, during the Paris Olympics, a collaborative event will take place among four IOC-recognized organizations that have common programs and synergies .
This meeting will be an important opportunity to strengthen the profile of the Olympic Community addressing different aspects of the Games and its various stakeholders. It is a unique opportunity that brings together four long-standing organizations: the Panathlon International, the International Pierre de Coubertin Committee (CIPC), the International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), and the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) with the aim of deepening mutual understanding .
For PI, our International President Giorgio Chinellato will be present who, together with Past-President Pierre Zappelli and other panathletes/executives, will have the task of dialoguing and analyzing how we can be stronger, “together”!
Speech delivered by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 today, 26 July 2024.
Thomas Bach during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024
The Past International President and the Secretary General will participate in the online Conference ‘Equality and Diversity in Francophone Sport: a reality?’, which will take place on Thursday 25 July 2024 from 2:00pm to 4:30pm at the Council of Europe office in Paris.
Programme attached
IOC President Bach: “You are the peace ambassadors of our time”
Hundreds of Olympic athletes representing the athletes of the territories of all the 206 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Refugee Olympic Team made a powerful call for peace. Four days before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games, they gathered in a solemn moment in the Olympic Village. Wearing scarfs with the message “Give peace a chance” and holding flags with the same words, they emphasised the powerful role that sport can play to foster peace and mutual understanding. The event included athletes from NOCs whose countries are currently in conflict or war with each other.
SAVE THE DATE - World Fair Play Day 5 September
The Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) Consultative Committee, at its meeting on 24 April, decided, by written procedure, to renew the membership of Panathlon International for a period of three years from 13 October 2024.
The EPAS Executive Secretary, Sophie Kwasny, expressed words of thanks for the cooperation and constant interest in EPAS activities and PI efforts to promote the European Sports Charter.
“I look forward to continuing our fruitful collaboration and advancing our goals of making sport more ethical, safe and inclusive”.
Agrigento 14 June 2024 - During the gala dinner at the Hotel Dioscuri, a "Memorandum of Understanding" has been stipulated between Panathlon International and the "International Maxibasketball Federation" (FIMBA) represented by its President Dr. Rubén Rodríguez Lamas. The International Maxibasketball Federation is a non-profit civil association, founded on 21 August 1991 in the city of Buenos Aires - Argentina. It was formed with the purpose of promoting, sponsoring, encouraging, developing, organising, directing and controlling the practice of Maxibasket throughout the world, in compliance with Olympic and international basketball regulations.
FIMBA and PI have therefore agreed to establish a partnership for the promotion of panathletic values and Fair Play in the organisation of Maxibasket tournaments worldwide.