OSCE Mission to Skopje completes “Stop Sports Violence” project | WPN World People News

From 19 October to 14 December 2012, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Skopje organized a volleyball tournament between students of eleven secondary schools as part of a project to prevent sports violence in the cities of Tetovo and Gostivar, in the western part of the country.

Students of ethnically-mixed high schools in Tetovo play volleyball as part of an OSCE-supported project aimed at preventing violence during sports matches, Tetovo, 9 November 2012.

The “Stop Sports Violence” project was initiated last year and continued in 2012 following persistent problems related to violence at sports events in the region, especially during football matches.

The project was carried out by the OSCE Mission in co-operation with the Prevention Section in Tetovo Police Station and the Prevention Team in Gostivar Police Station. The purpose of the tournament was to bring together students of different ethnic, gender and social backgrounds to convey a message of peaceful sporting events.

As part of the project, a campaign to raise awareness of the problem of violence in sports was conducted. It included the delivery of lectures in all high schools in Tetovo and Gostivar.

Similar youth activities, including sports events, are planned for 2013. Their purposes is to avoid separation trends and find a common ground for communication and socialization between different ethnic communities.

Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe