Yes, sport, at whatever level, is part of daily life for everybody.
So I could talk to you at length about how our region believes in and supports sportspeople, how everyone feels a great sense of pride when they see someone local performing successfully alongside the best of the world's sporting talent, but what has influenced me most, and still does, is a world away from all that competition.
My greatest arena is right here in this region, with its power, its gentleness and its diversity. I was born in these mountains and still live among them, and sport isn't just for athletes here, it's part of our culture. In fact, I think that here, people tend to associate a completely different value with the word "sport": sharing.
We enjoy sport with family, with friends, or just alone in the great outdoors, among the peaceful but sometimes fast-changing landscapes. Whether they walk or cycle, play tennis, go skiing, hiking, swimming, paragliding, fencing, riding or even practise karate, everyone enjoys and can enjoy this small (or great) pleasure in their own way.
I think quite a lot of people here get hooked on sport at an early age. Maybe there's something in the water!
Fanny Clavien
European karate champion
