FINA has been officially accepted as member of the Permanent Consultative Council (PCC) of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS). The request for membership has been done during the Extraordinary Session held between January 29-30, 2015 at the International Olympic Committee headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), devoted to the revision of the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport of 1978.
As the world governing body for the six aquatic disciplines, FINA will cooperate with CIGEPS-UNESCO to promote and support the development of physical education and aquatic sports across the globe, regardless of age, gender or race.
The cooperation between FINA and CIGEPS-UNESCO opens up new possibilities in the attainment and awareness of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially the 4th MDG which aims to “Reduce child mortality by two thirds, considering swimming as a tool to protect people’s lives from the dangers of drowning.
FINA President Dr. Julio C. Maglione commented on the importance and perspectives of this collaboration:
“We hope this partnership and this recognition of FINA will bring a significant contribution to our programme ‘Swimming for All, Swimming for Life’. This project is a real need to fight the dramatic statistics of drowning around the world, where a person dies every minute just because he/she lacks basic swimming skills. Therefore, our involvement with CIGEPS-UNESCO will provide new tools to the successful implementation of this programme.”
CIGEPS was established in 1978 to promote the role and value of sport and its inclusion in public policy. CIGEPS is comprised of expert representatives in the field of physical education and sport, each elected for a four year term. The Permanent Consultative Council (PCC), comprising key sport federations, UN agencies and NGOs, provides technical support and advice to the Committee.
Swimming News courtesy of FINA.
