Preamble
"Sport is part of every man and woman's heritage and its absence can never be compensated for." — Pierre de Coubertin
The benefits of sport for society are an undeniable fact, from a sociological, economic and organisational point of view, among many other aspects. Sport is a powerful driver of human values such as teamwork, tolerance, solidarity and loyalty. Sport is a social phenomenon, a catalyst for society as a means of education, as a means of inclusion, social and cultural transformation, as a way of life, mental health and the fostering of resilience.
Public institutions have already recognised on multiple occasions the importance of sport for citizens as a whole. In 2000, the European Council acknowledged the importance of sport in European society, and the importance of taking it into account when designing common policies applicable to all citizens of the European Union.
The European Commission, through the White Paper on Sport published in 2007, addresses the main issues associated with sport. It seeks to provide strategic guidance on the role of sport in Europe, strengthening the debate on specific sport-related matters and highlighting its importance as a driver of solidarity among the countries that make up the European Union.
However, it was not until 2009, with the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, that the European Union acquired for the first time a specific competence in the field of sport. Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) refers to EU sports policy: "The Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of the specific nature of sport, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function." In addition, Article 6 TFEU refers to sport as one of the policy areas in which the Union has competence to support, coordinate or supplement the action of its Member States.
ACES has the support of the European institutions. The White Paper on Sport, the document that legislates sport in the European Union and highlights its importance for all citizens of the Union, recognises the activity of ACES Europe and the awards it presents at the annual gala held at the European Parliament, reflected in Article 50, where the European Commission expresses its support for the future development of ACES Europe: "In addition, it will seek to give greater visibility to European sporting events. The Commission lends its support to the future development of the European Capitals of Sport initiative."
For ACES Europe, the support of the European institutions is its most important credential and one more reason to continue developing all the activities planned for the fulfilment of its objectives. In addition, agreements and partnerships are maintained with supranational entities such as UNESCO, together with collaboration agreements with CADE (American Council of Sport), which brings together the different Ministries of Sport of the Americas.
Furthermore, ACES Europe has the support of two important associations: EGFA (Euro Parliamentary Group Friends of ACES) and GCE (Groupe Consultatif Européene). Both provide constant and firm support in the European Parliament, guaranteeing the visibility of ACES Europe before the highest European institutions. Both associations are chaired by and composed of Members of the European Parliament.
The strength of ACES Europe within the European institutions and the firm conviction of the legitimacy of its objectives encourage ACES Europe and its members to continue developing their work, which is none other than the promotion of sport in society.
With the aim of enabling the cities and municipalities of the Americas to demonstrate and offer their citizens and the world the importance that sports policies have been acquiring within their goals of development and social integration, the awards recognising those policies are created, with the objective of giving visibility and importance to such actions across the American continent.
These Regulations are ACES America's response to the demand to adapt its public activity and conduct to established rules that grant the entity the credibility that associations such as ACES must have, in order to strengthen the institution on solid foundations of action allowing it to carry out the activity for which it was founded, which is none other than to promote physical exercise and sport across all social strata, to encourage economic support from the public and private sectors so that sport becomes a tool for social transformation through public policies, becoming an economic driver generating wealth in cities. In short, sport is not an expense: it is an investment with social and economic returns.
This document, which establishes and explains the manner in which ACES grants the awards of American Capital, Region, City and Town of Sport, is an indispensable part of the good-governance structure of ACES and ACES America, and is intended to strengthen the procedures associated with the awards granted by ACES Europe and ACES America with the support of various bodies and institutions of international standing.
On ACES and ACES America
Since its foundation in 1999, ACES Europe has sought to promote sport among all citizens of the European Union, especially among the most disadvantaged groups — children, the elderly and people with disabilities, among others.
ACES Europe also seeks to promote private and public initiative in order to increase support for sport, not only from a professional standpoint but as a means of social cohesion and for the improvement of citizens' health and quality of life, reinforcing the role of sport as a driver of economic activity and wealth generation.
The purposes pursued by ACES Europe and ACES America for the cities that are candidates for, or appointed as, European/American Capital, Region, City or Town of Sport are embodied in several main objectives:
- Enjoyment of physical exercise.
- The will to achieve the proposed goals.
- Strengthening the sense of belonging to the community.
- Learning fair play.
- Improving health.
Sport is not an expense: it is an investment with economic and social returns. Sport is a tool for integration and social transformation through public policies, pursuing equality and equity through it. Sport is a factor of economic development for municipalities and cities. Sport must be regarded as a State policy by public institutions, with the aim of developing effective policies that properly channel the demands of the citizens.
We also highlight the objective of implementing networking policies among all the cities and municipalities that form part of the ACES network of cities.
With the appointment of Santiago de Cali (Colombia) as the first American Capital of Sport in 2019 and the appointment of Guadalajara (Mexico) as the first American city to be World Capital of Sport in 2020 as milestones of our establishment in the Americas, ACES America is created, headquartered in Santiago de Cali (Colombia), first American Capital of Sport.
For this reason, ACES Europe, through its affiliate in the Americas under the ACES America brand, and in collaboration with UNESCO and CADE (American Council of Sport) and other prestigious entities, will continue its work of promoting sport through the institutions in order to spread the virtues and benefits of the practice of sport and the values it conveys to society, being a fundamental element in achieving the social inclusion of disadvantaged people, following the guidelines of UNESCO in its Kazan Action Plan 2017.
In recent years, the activity, importance and influence of ACES have increased substantially. This phenomenon has raised the media profile of ACES and reinforced its public image, making it necessary for the institution to address its growing responsibility towards public authorities and society at large.
These rules constitute ACES's response to the demand to adapt its public actions and activities to a set of established rules that grant the entity the credibility it deserves. Their aim is to strengthen the institution by providing a solid basis of action enabling it to fulfil the purpose for which it was founded, which is none other than to promote physical exercise and sport at all levels of society.
This document, which establishes and explains how ACES grants the distinction of American Capital, Community/Island, City, Town or Region of Sport, is an indispensable part of ACES's corporate-governance structure. It is also intended to reinforce the procedures associated with the awards granted by ACES.