INEFC, an autonomous body attached to the Department of Sports, thus consolidates its role as an international reference institution in the generation and transfer of knowledge related to physical activity and sport. The initiative aims to connect scientific knowledge with community wisdom and contribute to the recognition of indigenous and traditional games and sports as expressions of intangible cultural heritage.
The Minister of Sports, Berni Álvarez, positively assessed the designation, highlighting INEFC's pioneering role and the importance of the UNESCO Chair of Traditional Games and Sports as a tool to ensure the transmission of this heritage and its values to future generations.
The creation of this chair aligns with the Department of Sports' commitment to enhancing research, innovation, training, and international projection within the Catalan sports system, recognizing the educational, social, and cultural value of sport.
The candidacy has received support from 56 experts and 89 organizations from 28 countries, underscoring the project's collective nature and its ambition to become a reference point for scientific and institutional cooperation.
The Chair, which will be led by Professor Pere Lavega, will have an initial term of four years and will work to develop methodologies for identifying, studying, and preserving indigenous and traditional games and sports as part of intangible cultural heritage.
