Law to encourage sport raises hackles

The Swiss are divided on the issue of physical education in schools Keystone

A proposed national law which would impose a minimum of three hours per week of sport education in schools is provoking fierce debate about the role of federalism.

The legislation updates a 1972 law which made it obligatory for Swiss schools to include physical education in their curriculums, and is aimed at encouraging Swiss participation in sport across all ages.

The new law also proposes to set quality standards for physical education and provide federal support for elite sport as a means of further developing participation in sporting activities.

Education is traditionally the responsibility of the cantonal governments, and one which they protect fiercely.

But in a constitutional oddity, sport is the only educational area mentioned in the Swiss constitution, giving the federal parliament the right to make laws to govern it.

In a sign of how divisive the issue of federal involvement in educational matters is in Switzerland, the House of Representatives last week voted 115 to 41 in favour of imposing a minimum three hours of sport classes on schools. The vote was in defiance of the Senate which rejected the proposal in December.

Cantonal territory

The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education, in an email response to enquiries by swissinfo.ch, reaffirmed its opposition to any federal legislation that would mandate how much time should be devoted to sports classes. It argues that the national government is not qualified to involve itself in the cantonal issue of education.

“The government is not qualified to define the amount of sport education or to set standards of quality,” the Conference says in a statement on its website. “These propositions do not respect the competences defined in the federal Constitution in the area of education and training.”

Teachers, while generally in favour of time set aside for sport and physical activities, are divided on the question of whether the national government should impose conditions, president of the French-speaking Teachers Union, Georges Pasquier, told swissinfo.ch.

Pasquier points out that gymnasiums and sports equipment are often provided by municipal authorities, so some schools have access to much better equipment than others.

“Put simply, the realities of infrastructure [for sport] are very different. For practically all of French-speaking Switzerland, infrastructure is provided by the towns, so if you are in a town that has a very nice gymnasium, that’s great,” Pasquier said.

“But it’s true that in the larger cities there are certain suburbs which are very badly equipped.”

Pasquier says the teachers’ union has not taken a position on the new law, but notes that federal intervention “could be very positive for us”.

“On the principle of three hours of sport, for me it is vital,” he said, noting that children are more attentive in class when they have exercised. “For us the question is how to do it and at the expense of what?”

Aiming high

Under the new law, elite sport would receive a leg-up in the form of new national services aimed at improving the performance of Swiss athletes at the elite level. Supporting athletes to continue training during military service and providing ongoing training for coaches have also been emphasised in the text.

Stronger federal involvement in the promotion of elite sport “would be an important change for us”, Swiss Olympic president Jörg Schild told swissinfo.ch. “Success is only possible when Swiss Olympic and the government are working together.”

Swiss Olympic is pushing for greater cooperation between the government, sports federations and itself to promote better conditions for athletes. A key goal of that effort is to establish an Olympic Centre which would be responsible for training elite athletes.

But without dedicated state funds, it’s a difficult task that would require continued private investment.

The parliamentary debate comes as Switzerland this year turned in disappointing results on the slopes, winning a single silver medal from 11 events at last month’s World Alpine Ski Championships and just one bronze medal from 21 events at the World Nordic Ski Championships which ended on Sunday.

“We are a winter sports nation,” said Schild. “Expectations [for the World Championships] were high but it is the task of the Swiss Ski Federation to say what went wrong.”

Schild insists that for Switzerland’s size and the number of athletes it has, the country “is on the right track” to achieving better results in the future.

“We are really engaged in trying to push elite sport in Switzerland further. We do believe that we can get better and that we can achieve the goal of being in the top eight medal winners in the Winter Games and in the top 25 in the Summer Games.”

Revision of the law to encourage sport

In November 2009 the federal government sent to parliament its opinion concerning a new law to encourage sport.

In December 2010, the Senate approved the law which maintains the obligation of schools to teach sport, but voted 21 to eight against fixing a minimum obligation on schools of three hours per week.

In March 2011, the House of representatives voted 115 to 41 in favour of fixing a minimum three hours of sport in schools per week. 

The new law also reinforces criminal sanctions against doping and the encouragement of physical activity for children and adolescents.

It will support the development of elite sport through the establishment of services and training aimed at improving sporting performances at elite level.

The benefits of sport for health, personal development and community integration are also acknowledged.

The economic benefits of sport are underlined, in particular the importance of large sporting events being held in Switzerland.

Swiss Olympic Games results

2010 Winter Games Vancouver

Six gold medals, three bronze

2008 Summer Games Beijing

Two gold medals, four bronze

2006 Winter Games Turin

Five gold medals, four silver, five bronze

2004 Summer Games Athens

One gold medal, one silver, three bronze