Sport as well as sports events have become notorious for generating negative publicity, most often in connection with violent rioting, doping, corruption and match-fixing.
The Council of Europe has started to address these problems decades ago by providing its member states – through its conventions and agreements on sport – with a pan-European legal framework, which enables them to combat these human rights violations at national as well as international level. In addition, the organisation has set up monitoring mechanisms in order to regularly check the progress made in each of its member states.
Through these joint efforts, sport might, in time, become more of what it is actually meant to be: A reason for joyous celebration of community spirit as well as a manner of promoting health, social cohesion, tolerance and mutual respect and understanding.
