EU portal EurActiv launches new Sports Policy Section

www.euractiv.com/en/sports

The Sports Section coverage will include issues such as participation in sport across the EU, sport and multiculturalism, social integration through sport, volunteer work, violence in sport and economic aspects of sport. In addition to selected news coverage, EurActiv's time-saving LinksDossiers on these issues will provide readers with background information, an outline of the major issues, and a presentation of the positions of the most important players, including NGOs, federations, industry, and national governments.

"In 2004 Europe will be, once again, at the centre stage of international sport with the organisation of major events such as Euro 2004 in Portugal, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Greece. In this context, I welcome the new section dedicated to sport on the EurActiv website. Thanks to dozens of events organised during the European Year of Education through Sport I am convinced that a fresh boost will be given to European sport not just in terms of high-level competition but as an educational and social activity too,"  said European Commissioner for Education and Culture, Viviane Reding.

Rory Macmillan, Director of Governmental Affairs, Nike EMEA said: "Nike is pleased to support EurActiv's efforts to provide policy makers in the EU with this valuable platform. Like the European Commission, Nike believes in the value of sport as a key tool for social cohesion. We wish EurActiv every success in developing this new and exciting sports policy section." 

EurActiv's Editor, Willy De Backer, commented: "With sport likely to feature in the new Constitution for the first time, EurActiv will chronicle the policy discussion as it develops. The input from key stakeholders will stimulate a constructive debate."

At the same time, the European Year of Education through Sport and the European Committee for Sport History are also joining the growing number of NGOs and think-tanks (including CEPS and Friends of Europe) which work with EurActiv.

Note to the editor:

EurActiv.com is the leading private sector portal on EU Affairs. With more than 1 million page views per month and over 67,000 unique visitors, the site is an important working instrument for the majority of EU Actors (institutions, industry federations, NGO's, think tanks, the press and others) involved in defining or influencing EU policies.

The following are general sponsors of EurActiv's portal: the European Commission's eContent and IST programmes, CEPS, DuPont, Toyota, Microsoft, Honeywell and ABIG (Turkey in Europe). Section sponsors of EurActiv include: BP, Edelman, EDF, Eucomed, ExxonMobil, Gallup Europe, Hydro, Lockheed Martin, Nike, Pfizer, Solvay, US Mission to the EU. Plus special support from DG Education and Culture, and ERT - The European Round Table of Industrialists. 

EurActiv also has 60 "content partners" (NGOs & think tanks) as well as ca. 500 "contributors", providing their policy positions for free publication, up to the editorial team. Input welcome: editor@euractiv.com .

Within the CrossLingual project, EurActiv's content in three languages is available for syndication to "EU Actors"' websites and intranets. Central and Eastern European partners have also started translating and localising EurActiv news for their national audiences. The CrossLingual project is supported by the eContent programme of the European Commission, DG Information Society. It is prepared in cooperation with Systran, DB Scape, Telelingua, the Centre of European Policy Studies, the International Federation of Journalists and seven policy portals in Central and Eastern Europe.         

EurActiv policy sections are open to further sponsoring, either by corporations wishing to enhance their reputation as constructive EU Actors, or by service providers conveying their specific expertise. For more, see www.euractiv.com/en/sponsors.