European Team Sports association born

The major European team sports today formed their own team – by creating an association to promote, develop and represent the interests of European team sport. The association will also further increase the information exchange that has taken place informally over recent years.

Joint statement
Moreover, the European Team Sports of basketball (FIBA Europe), handball (EHF), football (UEFA), ice hockey (IIHF), rugby (FIRA-AER) and volleyball (CEV) have issued the following joint statement today with respect to the EU Lisbon Treaty which recently came into force and, in particular, Article 165 that recognises, inter alia, the "specific nature of sport":

Work in partnership
"The European Team Sports express their satisfaction with the newly recognised status of sport in the Lisbon Treaty. As responsible, professional, democratic and representative European partners, the European Team Sports also express their desire to work in partnership together with their direct institutional counterparts, namely the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission, in order to shape a healthy future for European sport.

Sport's specific nature
"As regards EU law and sport, the European Team Sports support the view that the specific nature of sport should be fully acknowledged by all European institutions."

Common voice
The most popular European sports of basketball, handball, football, ice hockey, rugby and volleyball have been seeking for some time to further their common voice at European level – whether on EU matters or other issues. Basketball (FIBA Europe), handball (EHF), football (UEFA), ice hockey (IIHF) and volleyball (CEV) have formed the association today and rugby (FIRA-AER) will join as soon as the statutes are ratified by its relevant bodies.