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Balabalabala – EUROPEADA 2012 in Lusatia started successfully 19 Teams, 300 helpers, 8 stadiums, thousands of guests, theatre workshops, a cultural day, music, partying – during the coming days the EUROPEADA 2012 at the Sorbs in Lusatia will offer a grandiose programme. The largest sports event of the autochthonous minorities in Europe has started. In the coming days we will inform you both about the sportive achievements and about the accompanying programme and offer specific, interesting themes. On our facebook-page you will be kept updated almost realtime. On our Flickr-site you find the latest photos (if you need a higher resolution, please contact us) On our Issuu-site you can find our latest press releases, articles and documents. Please also have a regular look at our sites www.europeada.eu or www.fuen.org. If you wrote an article about the EUROPEADA, have a good photo, a nice story – then please post this on our facebook-page or send us your this/your link. We would like to keep track of all the places where people write or report about the EUROPEADA.

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Prime Minister welcomes all in Sorbian – but does not make a goal

The Free State of Saxony has a Sorb as Prime Minister. That is why it was evident that Stanislaw Tillich, a Sorb born in Panschwitz-Kuckau who speaks Sorbian as his mother tongue, would officially open the EUROPEADA 2012 in Crostwitz, Lusatia, Germany with a reception on behalf of the Free State. About 150 guests: Sorbs, representatives of minorities from all over Europe and important politicians from e.g. the European Parliament, the German Bundestag and several regional European parliaments had come. To the great satisfaction of the Sorbian and European guests, CDU-politician Tillich held a large part of his speech in the Sorbian language. The chairman of Domowina, the local host, David Statnik was pleased to see so many guests from all over Europe – very appropriate for the 100th anniversary of the umbrella organisation of the Lusatian Sorbs. FUEN-president Hans Heinrich Hansen seized the opportunity to say thank you – to Domowina for being “one of the most important pillars for FUEN’s work” and to the Prime-Minister, who was thanked for the annual institutional funding for FUEN his Free State of Saxony provides. But there were some critical words as well on the situation of the minorities in Europe:

“19 minorities will start in Lusatia. Sport must be and will be the main thing here – and that is how it ought to be. But FUEN is a political interest organisation and we will use this event to raise awareness that in regard to the minorities, many things go badly in Europe. There is the disastrous and disgraceful situation of the circa 12 million Roma in Europe, the scandalous non-recognition of the Turkish minority in Greece (both minorities have their teams here) and there is the general question of what Europe actually wants with its minorities? Support for minorities in Europe does not come close to being sufficient – there is no plan, no strategy on how the diversity of minorities and languages should be safeguarded in the 21st century. Many languages, including the Sorbian language, are critically endangered. I sometimes use the slightly polemical example: if we, the minorities would be animal species, there would have been several rescue operations already. But we sometimes have the feeling that we have to fight for our continued existence from a rather lonely position.”

The media attention was impressive – there were camera teams from several European countries, and more than 80 accredited journalists were at the opening day of the EUROPEADA 2012. At the end Tillich, Hansen and Statnik had to get the ball. In the penalty shootout, none of the three gentlemen was capable to pass the chairman of the sports association of Crostwitz, who was able to block all the shots of these three gentlemen. ... The sportsmen walked in with their “national anthems” at the opening of the EUROPEADA The EUROPEADA-song Balabalabala was repeated again and again in the stadium of Nebelschütz yesterday, 16 June 2012, where in the early evening the EUROPEADA

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was opened. 19 teams had dressed in their national colours and walked into the stadium with the sound of their “national anthem” in the background. A marching band, dance groups, music and many guests created a real European minority championship atmosphere in Nebelschütz. The 19 teams, who in the meantime have all arrived in Lusatia, showed that they are highly motivated and of course there are no official betting companies at the EUROPEADA, but the defending champions from South Tyrol are again and again mentioned as favorites; but also the Roma from Hungary and the German minority from Poland are considered strong teams. The Sorbs are regarded a secret tip; they are playing for their local audience and are mentioned as possible outsiders. For press questions please contact us through presse@europeada.eu or contact Jan Diedrichsen, +45 22308876