Holding the Presidency of the European Union since July 1, 2008, France has taken the initiative of celebrating European sport in Paris, by welcoming Europe´s best athletes to the foot of the Eiffel Tower for a major public event to be held on Sunday, October 5.
During this exceptional day of festivities, the Champ de Mars will be transformed into a European sports village, with interactive areas and grounds, placing a whole host of sporting activities in the limelight. There will be many a chance for the general public to watch numerous demonstrations and try their hand at a wide range of sports, thanks to support from the French sporting federations.
The idea behind bringing together Europe´s best athletes for a major public event is to celebrate Europe as a "˜great sporting nation´, and highlight the desire to place sport, in all its forms, at the heart of the European project. Sport serves as a powerful vehicle for helping to promote a general sense of European belonging, particularly among young people.
´Vivre l´Europe, Vivre le sport´
This initiative is the brainchild of Pierre Durand, equestrian gold medalist at the Seoul Olympics and President of the "˜Vivre l´Europe, Vivre le sport´ association, which is holding the event. His idea won the immediate support of Roselyne Bachelot–Narquin, French Minister for Health, Youth, Sport and Associations; Bernard Laporte, Secretary of State for Sport, Youth and Associations, and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee .
Five partners alongside the sporting world
The event is partnered by five leading French businesses that are dedicated throughout the year to sporting organizations and top–level sports players. These well–known companies on a European and global scale will be helping to run the sports village, alongside the sporting federations: Carrefour, EDF, la Française des Jeux, Orange and RATP.
As the main European leisure activity, played by over 70 million people, sport is a living force in Europe. Whether at amateur or expert level, sport plays an active role in the economies of the 27 Member States, and fuels the passion of millions of European fans. Arousing emotions, sport forges links between people which extend beyond their individualities and allegiances. As a vehicle for social, educational, cultural and environmental development, sport is undoubtedly called on to play a key role in forming a European identity and its shared values.
Practical information
Please e–mail your accreditation requests for this event to the following address:
presse.ue5octobre@havassports.com
Broadcasting of several TV indices via SERTE, on Sunday, October 5, including:
- The entire tribute paid to European athletes,
- A recap of the day´s highlights,
- Images of the various events.
For the written press:
Royalty–free photos of the event will be available from the press office of the organization.
Multimedia document available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi–bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5785915〈=fr
The original source–language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross–referenced with the source–language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.
