My speech offers a critical analysis of the gap between political rhetoric and the scientific understanding of human movement within the culture of public decision-makers, denouncing how the superficial use of concepts — and of the policies that should stem from them — undermines the country’s ability to recognize the fundamental importance of movement on a biopsychosocial and educational level. I discuss my experience of a parliamentary hearing to which I was invited, during which I highlighted the emerging cultural and institutional marginalization of movement, which has been improperly reduced to a mere synonym of sport. I then propose a systemic perspective: movement precedes life outside the womb, structures child development through motor play — a right enshrined in the UN Convention — and represents the neurobiological and functional basis of learning, health and social participation. Foundational motor education is identified as the cornerstone of individual and collective well-being, to be promoted through schools, families and qualified professionals. Sport constitutes only one possible expression of movement, not its foundation. I conclude by asserting the need to recognize movement as a vital societal infrastructure, clearly distinguishing it from sport, and to develop a national policy that protects it throughout the entire lifespan. Only in this way can movement become a driver of public health, educational equity and social cohesion.