Sports representatives to meet Pope Francis to sign commitment for more inclusive sport
Photo: Camila Cunha
In September, School of Health and Life Sciences professor and researcher, Dr. Nelson Todt, will participate in the International Summit on Sport, in the Vatican. The event will bring together representatives of different Christian denominations and denominations of other religions, as well as non-profit organizations and educational institutions from around the world that work for inclusion in society through sport. At the end of the Summit, in the presence of Pope Francis, participants will be invited to sign the declaration of commitment to continue promoting the social and educational dimension of sport in their institutions and sports organizations.
The Summit is promoted by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the John Paul II Foundation for Sport. During the Summit, a Declaration will invite sports people to look to the future, by embracing three fundamental characteristics: cohesion, accessibility and adaptability. The PUCRS researcher was invited for his participation in the international working group that designed this declaration.
According to Todt, the event will have the participation of around 200 sports people (athletes, coaches, managers), from International Sports Federations, but also from amateur sports associations. The professor, who coordinates the Research Group in Olympic Studies at PUCRS, will coordinate the Session on “Cohesion” which will feature the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and the Vatican delegate for Paris 2024, Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard.
Photo: Unsplash
The event will address a variety of issues. The first is the need to reduce the distance between grassroots sport and professional sport, in the conviction that the unity of sport is a value to be preserved and cultivated. The second is the guarantee of people’s access to the right to practice sport, regardless of their social conditions (poverty, migration and refugee status, marginality, war, prison, etc.). Finally, the third stage focuses on the possibility that all people can practice sport, even with physical or mental disabilities or psychological discomfort.
