Skopje hosts anti-racism conference

A conference organised by the Football Association of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FFM) together with the Macedonian Centre for Culture and Development (MCKR) has tackled the question of overcoming racism and ethnic discrimination in the Balkan region.

The event in the Macedonian capital Skopje on 14 and 15 October was attended by representatives of UEFA, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport, the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation and other organisations.

The conference was opened by the director of youth and sport in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Spasov Dime. Meanwhile, FFM general secretary Igor Klimper gave the following message to delegates: "For the last ten years, the FFM has supported the activities of the MCKR and FARE [Football Against Racism in Europe] Action Week, with all domestic championship matches held under the banner of anti-nationalism and anti-racism.

"The FFM takes part in all UEFA activities and has already begun the process of full implementation of all standards related to the total elimination of discrimination in sport."

Last year, the FFM arranged the first national conference on eliminating violence off the sports field. It brought together representatives of the country's leading sports federations in taking a firm stand against violence. A ground-breaking book was also published on the subject.