Conference of European ministers in Porto opens the door to being named World Capital of Sport
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From 8 to 10 October, Atlantic Front will host the 18th Conference of Ministers of Sport of the Council of Europe, which was presented today in Vila Nova de Gaia. Rui Moreira praised the importance of the event taking place in the northern region, noting that it could 'make a decisive contribution to the application that Porto and Gaia intend to present for World Capital of Sport in 2027'.
With four months to go before Porto, along with Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia, hosts the 18th Conference of Ministers of Sport of the Council of Europe, the Porto Mayor considered it very 'prestigious' for the city to host a meeting of this significance, guaranteeing that the municipality 'is strongly committed to the objectives' of the ministerial meeting.
The event, which is 'a demonstration of the Atlantic Front's commitment', said the Mayor, also sets the city's sights on the joint application with Gaia to become the World Capital of Sport in 2027.
Rui Moreira has no doubt that the conference will be essential to show, across borders, the work that has been done in this direction.
Stepping stone to the world
For the Mayor, the ministerial meeting could 'contribute in a crucial and decisive way to the application', which, he said, should be submitted by the end of this year.
'It's a good time to start warming up the engines', he said, pointing out that the members of some of the international delegations that will be in Porto in October are the main deciders on the application's success.
The event, which will pass through Alfândega do Porto, the Matosinhos Cruise Terminal and The Lodge Hotel, will also have a direct impact on the population.
'We're working with the IPDJ to organise a series of activities that can mobilise the population', said Rui Moreira, adding that, in this way, it will also be possible to show international participants the sports projects that the municipality has brought to fruition.
This is the case with Desporto no Bairro (Sport in the Neighbourhood), which 'is a project that is beginning to make a difference' and has caught the attention of international political decision-makers, the Mayor revealed.
It is in sport and with sport that values are cultivated that should be the compass for our daily lives as a community"
At the presentation of the 18th Conference of Ministers of Sport of the Council of Europe, the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Pedro Duarte, emphasised the importance of the international event taking place in Portugal.
'It is in sport and with sport that values are cultivated that should be the compass for our daily lives as a community. The culture of merit, the culture of competing is fundamental and makes us all grow', he added.
The event - which will focus on sport governance, as well as gender equality in sport - takes place every two years and will bring together ministers of Sport from 46 European countries that make up the Council of Europe, as well as four other states that will attend as observers.
A further 50 delegations and 37 European and international sports organisations are expected to attend.
The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Sport, Pedro Dias, said that the organisation of the ministerial conference will cost around 400,000 euros, a sum that will be covered by different entities, with the Council of Europe also contributing.
The conference was also presented by Sílvia Vermelho, from the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ), the mayors of Gaia and Matosinhos, as well as the athlete Rosa Mota and sportspeople who will be representing Portugal at the Olympic Games in Paris next month.