Avelino Meneses restates that sport is an activity of all and for all in the Azores
The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture restated today in Ponta Delgada that sport in the Azores "is and must continue to be an activity of all and for all, providing more physical strength and, above all, health and entertainment."
Speaking at the opening of the meeting of the Azorean Council of High Performance Sport (CADAR), Avelino Meneses stressed that the "essence of sport," more than "victory or defeat," lies in "the values of socialisation, mutual aid and tolerance."
"Competition is the paradigm of excellence and also a school of life. In fact, competitive sport gives practitioners increased discipline, which mitigates the drawbacks of an extreme involvement," said Avelino Meneses. As a result of this internalisation, "athletes are usually the carriers of an organisational capacity that is well above that of young people of the same age."
For the Regional Secretary for Education and Culture, all this translates "an increased possibility of organisation of time and improvement of study methods that interestingly ensure a positive school performance, even though the time for study is reduced."
"As for athletes, it is necessary to encourage their effort, dedication, pride and guarantee them a position of personal and professional dignity in the future. This is important to prevent the mismatch of contradictory lives in which the ephemeral fame makes way for permanent frustration, with negative physical and psychological repercussions," said the government official.
For Avelino Meneses, school is the "remedy" for this "danger" and, contrary to what may seem, this "remedy" is not an "embarrassment to the practice of sport." In fact, it is the "foundation for building rewarding professional paths, even many years after the fleeting years of sports glory experienced in the enthusiasm of all stadiums."
The Regional Director for Sport also stressed that "the Azores continue to be a good national example" in this area, as evidenced by the absolute sports participation rate and the results achieved.