Sport for all. Cohesive, Accessible and Tailored to each person

On September 29 and 30, 2022, in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican, the International Summit "Sport for All: Cohesive, Accessible and Tailored to each Person" will be held, promoted by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the John Paul II Foundation for Sport. The Summit will involve major sports and intergovernmental institutions and organizations, to respond to the Holy Father's calls on the social responsibility of sports and the importance of sports practice as a means of human, educational and spiritual growth.

The Summit continues the journey begun with the International Meeting "Sport at the Service of Humanity" organized in October 2016, then followed by "Giving the Best of Yourself," the Holy See's first integral document on sport published on June 1, 2018. During the Summit, a Declaration will be presented that invites the world of sport to look to the future by embracing three fundamental characteristics: cohesive, accessible and tailored to each person. The first to highlight the need to reduce the gap between grassroots and professional sports, in the belief that the unity of sport is a value to be safeguarded and nurtured. The second to guarantee all people the right to practice sports, regardless of their social conditions (poverty, migration conditions and refugee status, marginality, war, prison detention, etc.). Finally, the third keyword focuses on enabling all people to be able to practice sports, even when they have physical or mental disabilities or psychological hardships.

The Summit provides for the participation by invitation of about 200 people from the world of sports (athletes, coaches, managers), International Sports Federations, and also amateur Sports Associations. Representatives of different Christian denominations and other religions will also be present, as well as nonprofit organizations and educational institutions from around the world working for inclusion in society through sport. At the conclusion of the Summit, in the presence of Pope Francis, participants will be invited to sign the Declaration with a commitment to increasingly promote in their own institutions and sports organizations the social and inclusive dimension of sport. This invitation will then be extended to all sports entities, starting with those inspired by the Christian vision of the person and of sport itself, by participating in the online subscription.

Attached is a graphic explanation of the logo and the Summit program with speakers confirmed so far, who will be joined by sports practitioners who will testify from their own life experiences to how sport can be an opportunity for redemption, encounter, inclusion, and fullness of life.