Article 124 (a) of the new treaty states that "The Union shall contribute  to the promotion of European sporting issues, while taking account of its specific nature, its structures based on voluntary activity and its social and educational function".

This new wording retains the substance of the proposed text in the aborted  project to establish a new constitution for Europe (Article III – 282) and it is  also in line with the Nice Declaration (2000), which made reference to the  "specific characteristics" of sport.

The inclusion of sport for the first time has been welcomed by the European sports movement and the International Olympic Committee. EPC joins the movement in welcoming the agreement and the incorporation of sport as one of the union’s formal responsibilities.