Prior to the 2000s, Member States had made the observation that cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It...

Prior to the 2000s, Member States had made the observation that cultural heritage is not limited to monuments and collections of objects. It is very important to consider also those traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as, for example:

– oral traditions,

– the performing arts,

– ritual and festive social practices,

– the knowledge and skills required for traditional craftsmanship, etc.

Intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of increasing globalization, and we must be aware that it is very fragile in the current situation. However, knowledge of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities is useful for intercultural dialogue and fosters respect for other ways of life.

The importance of intangible cultural heritage lies not so much in the cultural manifestation itself as in the wealth of knowledge and skills it transmits from one generation to the next. It is this valorization of knowledge that has allowed many traditional cultural sports practices to emerge from the anonymity where they had been left by their states. So, while sports institutions refused to recognize certain traditional sports on the pretext that they were not really sport but culture, this 2003 convention created a third way where both are sport and culture.

Regattas in Ireland

The global JST platform that is ITSGA (and its continental networks) are actively involved in safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), notably with the signing of the Verona declaration (see texts in Mandarin and Urdu) in 2015, or that of Palmas (2015).