Sport Pro/UNI Europa: Athletes Send Strong Message for Workers' Rights to EU Commission

NYON, Switzerland, April 19, 2010 - Top European players unions are in Madrid today at the European Sports
Forum to tell the European Commissioner responsible for Sport, Androulla
Vassiliou, that European athletes must be covered by EU laws protecting
workers' rights.

The unions won't accept a special application of EU law for sport and are
protesting their apparent exclusion from a "bilateral" dialogue between the
EU and the Olympic and Sports Movement that could allow the O.S.M. to bypass
the European Social Dialogue process and has already undercut the European
Social Dialogue in football.

Jose Luis Llorente, Vice-President of the Spanish federation of players
unions, "Asociacion de Deportistas", welcomed the delegates to Madrid,
saying, "We must stand together for the fundamental rights of athletes as
citizens and employees in Europe to ensure they're protected. The law is the
law."

"The European Commission cannot allow event organizers to hijack the
sport agenda by granting their wish for exclusive dialogue," warned
Bernadette Ségol, Regional Secretary for the recognized employee social
partner in the Sport sector, UNI Europa. "The proper place to deal with
important issues like minimum labor standards, anti-doping rules,
intellectual property rights, sports betting, agents and health and safety is
either in the European Social Dialogue or in an informal dialogue with the EU
that includes unions as important stakeholders."

Yves Kummer, president of the European Elite Athletes Association, a
federation of unions representing 25,000 athletes, agreed.

"We have been working hard in recent years to develop the European Social
Dialogue for Sport and this is the proper place to handle many of the
'specificity of sport' issues on the table here," he said. "If the
Commissioner sends a strong message to the Olympic movement regarding EU law
and the importance of the European Social Dialogue, we believe that a lot can
be accomplished in a relatively short time."

The sports unions will host a press conference in Madrid at 11:00 am
today at the IFEMA.

More information: www.euathletes.info

Sport Pro/UNI Europa represents more than 25,000 European athletes.

    Contact:
    Walter Palmer
    Tel. : +49-160-94904796

Contact: Walter Palmer, Tel. : +49-160-94904796