The IOC said in a statement that the organisation was convinced that the creation of a legal basis for sport in the EU Reform Treaty would ‘better address the needs of sport and provide a sound legal framework for the future’.
The IOC president, Jacques Rogge, supported this plea on behalf of the Olympic Movement in a letter to the governments of the 27 Member States.
“The responsibility sport has in society and the autonomy with which it regulates itself are central to its credibility and legitimacy”, Rogge said.
“Autonomy thus means preserving the values of sport and the existing structures through which it has developed in Europe and around the world. Sport can play its unique role thanks to its autonomy, and this role would be seriously compromised if sport-governing bodies are subject to public interference. Therefore the IOC and the sports movement as a whole hope that this aspect will be taken into consideration.”
The discussions currently taking place in Brussels will focus on creating a draft of a reform treaty agreed upon by the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) last June.
