During the XVI Panathlon Congress in Antwerp (BEL) 22 – 23 November 2007, IFIUS and Panathlon agreed to increase their cooperation based upon the Panathlon Declaration on Ethics in Youth Sport. Already in 2005, IFIUS endorsed together with FIFA, FIBA and other international sport federations the declaration. But as leading party of the international interuniversity sports platform, IFIUS considers the role of modern student athletes as extremely important in relation to ethics in youth sport. University students are still part of the youth platform but are also an example for younger children and are the future decision makers of this world. Therefore, the federation will not only endorse the declaration but will ensure that all its members, participants and staff uphold the principles of the declaration.

This declaration represents our commitment to go beyond discussion and to establish clear rules of conduct in the pursuit of the positive values in youth sport. We declare that:

Panathlon Declaration 1.

We will promote the positive values in youth sport more actively with sustained effort and good planning.

Panathlon Declaration 2.

We will continue our effort to eliminate all forms of discrimination in youth sport.

Panathlon Declaration 3.

We recognise and adopt the fact that sports also can produce negative effects and that preventive and curative measures are needed to protect children.

Panathlon Declaration 4.

We welcome the support of sponsors and media but believe that this support should be in accordance with the major objectives of youth sport.

Panathlon Declaration 5.

We therefore formally endorse ‘The Panathlon Charter on the Rights of the Child in Sport’.

All children have the right :

to practice sports to enjoy themselves and to play to live in a healthy environment to be treated with dignity to be trained and coached by competent people to take part in training that is adapted to their age, individual rhythm and competence to match themselves against children of the same level in a suitable competition to practice sport in safe conditions to rest to have the opportunity to become a champion, or not to be a champion

All this can only be achieved when governments, sports federations, sports agencies, sports goods industries, media, business, sport scientists, sport managers, trainers, parents and children endorse this declaration.