On Wednesday June 11th in the House of Lords, Lord Moynihan will be introducing a Private Members Bill on “The Governance of Sport”.
Lord Moynihan explains, “This Governance of Sports Bill is intended to stimulate discussion on a range of issues central to the development of sport in the United Kingdom. As time available before the 2015 General Election will mean the Bill will not make progress through all its parliamentary stages, my aim is that the Governance of Sport Bill will act as a catalyst for debate both inside and outside Parliament. I hope it will attract the attention of those responsible with the task of drafting manifestos and developing sports policies for the future. I am grateful to Government for offering time to debate many of these issues in the House of Lords and I hope that similar consideration will take place in the House of Commons. It is intended that this Bill provides a vision for the future development of sport and sports policy in the United Kingdom. The Governance of Sport Bill provides the framework necessary for Governing bodies of sport to be held accountable for spending public and lottery money. It places new and necessary duties on Government to act in the interests of sportsmen and women and supporters – so many of whom were volunteers during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Whilst the measures proposed can be implemented through a combination of statutory legislation and voluntary agreement, there is an urgency for action and commitment to design and implement a comprehensive Sports Policy, presented to and accountable to Parliament. This will give sport the opportunity to create a platform from which to capitalise on the successful, historic and inspirational London Olympic and Paralympic Games of 2012. ”
Item 29 of the Bill concentrates on disablity access and obliges the Secretary of State to make provisions for the access of disabled athletes and spectators to sport venues and sporting events as further specified in “Accessibility Guide – An inclusive Approach to the Olympic and Paralympic Games” issued by the International Paralympic Committee in June 2013
To view the Governance of Sport Bill in detail, click here. For a more detailed explanation on Private Members Bills, click here.
Joyce Cook, Chair of Level Playing Field has commented; “Level Playing Field welcomes Lord Moynihan’s new Bill and especially its provisions relating to disability access for disabled spectators. We note with great interest the requirements in Section 6 ‘Disability Access’ in relation to the International Paralympic Committee Standards 2013”.
“These standards are more in keeping with the demographics of the disabled population than those adopted by Accessible Stadia and we look forward to hearing the parliamentary debates that will inevitably follow. It is critical that we build on the legacy of London 2012 and the positive experiences enjoyed by both disabled and non-disabled spectators. Disabled fans got a taste of just what is possible during the Olympics and Paralympics and our message is clear. We call on the sport’s governing bodies and Government to come together to finally ensure equal access and true inclusion for all sports loving fans – disabled fans have waited for 20 years for this to happen. There is no better time than now!”