A/HRC/32/33 and connectedness. Moreover, sport can be used as a tool to promote “active ageing” — elderly people being active and engaged in society — to combat negative and inaccurate images of the elderly that portray ageing as an inevitable and irreversible decline in function. 77. States should respect the right to health of elderly people by refraining from discriminating in the form of denying access to conditions enabling them to live healthy lifestyles, which includes their access to sporting goods and facilities. States should also protect the right to health of the elderly by creating complaint and recourse mechanisms for those whose rights have been violated and by sensitizing third parties to the needs and abilities of the elderly in the sporting context. Finally, States should fulfil the right to health of the elderly by facilitating or providing goods, services, facilities and information, in the area of sport and exercise, that are available, acceptable, accessible and of high quality. E. Persons with disabilities 78. Persons with disabilities should have access to, and benefit from, medical and social services that enable them to become independent, prevent further disabilities and support social integration.60 Moreover, persons with disabilities must be provided with rehabilitation services enabling them to reach and sustain optimum levels of independence and functioning.61 Furthermore, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has confirmed that private providers of services and facilities, as well as the public health sector, must comply with the principle of non-discrimination. These principles are echoed in article 25 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which provides for the right of enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health for people with disabilities, without discrimination on the basis of disability. 79. Moreover, under article 30 (5) of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, States are required to take appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities to participate on an equal basis with others in recreational, leisure and sporting activities. These measures include encouraging and promoting the participation of persons with disabilities in mainstream sporting activities at all levels, ensuring that persons with disabilities can organize, develop and participate in disability-specific sporting and recreational activities, and ensuring that persons with disabilities have access to sporting venues and services. The right of children with disabilities to have equal access to play, recreation and leisure and sporting activities is explicitly acknowledged in the Convention. In addition, the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities provide guidance on the types of interventions required in relation to sport and healthy lifestyles for persons with disabilities (see rule 11). 80. As physical inactivity is associated with deterioration in the physical and psychological health of persons living with disabilities, 62 participation in sport and physical activity may yield more immediate benefits for them than for the rest of the population — such as improved functional independence and overall quality of life — beyond the amelioration of long-term health risks. Additionally, persons living with disabilities are at higher risk of non-communicable diseases.63 For these reasons, investment in achieving 60 61 62 63 18 Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 5 (1994) on persons with disabilities. See E/1995/22. J. Larry Durstine and others, “Physical activity for the chronically ill and disabled”, Sports Medicine, vol. 30, No. 3. WHO, World Report on Disability (2011).