Sport for development: A call for greater inclusion
The concept of Sport-for-Development (S4D) has been defined by social psychologists Dr Alexis Lyras and Dr Welty Peachey, “the use of sport to exert a positive influence on public health, the socialization of children, youth and adults, the social inclusion of the disadvantaged, the economic development of regions and states, and on fostering intercultural exchange and conflict resolution”. When the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) designated 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education, it was in recognition of the value of sport in changing lives, influencing behaviour and promoting development. The stage for this pronouncement was set earlier by the global icon, Nelson Mandela, who stated, at the Laureas World Sports Awards in 2000, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way little else can. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers.”
In essence, governments were being urged to include sport and physical education as items in the policy prescription for human and social development. Through the years, The UNGA has been a staunch advocate for the greater inclusion of sport as a development tool. Of great significance was the move by Kofi Anan (UN Secretary General), to appoint Adolf Ogi as the Special Advisor on S4D issues (2001). This was done to improve collaboration and networking between UN organizations and sport sectors. Following up on this, in 2003 the first high level international conference on Sport for Development and Peace was held in Magglinden, Switzerland, under the theme ‘Creating a better World through Sport’. The conference brought together delegates from several countries and included UN agencies, sports organizations, media, corporate businesses, civil society and athletes. The ensuing discussions explored the possibilities that sport presents for facilitating development and promoting peace. Workable strategies and frameworks were outlined by the final conference document – The Magglinden Declaration. Some of the key highlights were that sport and physical activity: improved people’s physical and mental health at a low cost; should be included in the schooling system to help young people perform better and improves their quality of life; and helped to overcome barriers of race, religion, gender, disability, and social background.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of the value of sport as a developmental tool there is still a perceived level of uncertainty, or perhaps hesitancy, to incorporate sport in programmes for advancing people. Jamaica, and many countries across the region have shown a steady diminution of structured, quality sports programmes at the community level. Social programmes, aimed especially at youth, are largely devoid of sports. In Guyana, sports administrators have acknowledged the lack of comprehensive community sports programmes outside of the school setting. They cite the absence of youth clubs through which many of the earlier sports programmes were once expressed as a worrying reality. Dialogue with a prominent sport official in St Vincent and the Grenadines revealed a similar situation. Administrators in that country are questioning the link between rising youth-on-youth crimes and the absence of structured community-based sports activities. Commendably, this galvanized the national sports associations into spearheading a ‘Sport Against Crime’ initiative in August 2019 as a means of addressing the ‘idleness of youth’. The initiative is supported by the relevant government ministries.
It must be noted, however, that the use of sport to promote development and peace is not novel. In fact, historical research will reveal several instances where sport played a pivotal role in achieving certain developmental objectives. For example, the ‘Ping-Pong Diplomacy ‘(1971), when table tennis was used as a means to assuage tensions between China and the United States of America. Glen Cowan of the USA was invited to play Zhuang Zedong of the People’s Republic of China, and this thawed the relations between the adversarial nations and paved the way for a visit to China by then President Richard Nixon (1972).
Other examples of the use of sport to address social issues exist. These include: Football for Peace: Established to foster integration between Jewish and Arab youth; (www.football4peace.eu); Beyond the Ball: Use of basketball programs to promote unity among inner city Chicago communities; (http://beyondtheball.org); Shoot Hoops, not Guns: Basketball used by the Jamaica Amateur Basketball Association to promote peace among inner city youth in Kingston, Jamaica.
At the global level, developed nations continue to incorporate sport at every level of their human development strategies. In March 2021, the Australian Government, for example, launched the Team Up programme in schools, communities and sport settings. The initiative is essentially a new phase in the continuation of some 20 years of S4D programing. Examples of sound S4D initiatives also exist in South Africa, and Sweden. The success of these programmes provide compelling arguments for greater consideration for sport-based social development programmes. Good support for many of these S4D programmes comes from the established Laureus Sports for Good Foundation which supports over 250 programmes in some 50 countries.
It is perhaps time for Jamaica and other Caribbean nations to give greater attention to the inclusion of sport in the human and social development matrix. Of course, the issue of cost is always a consideration. This argument, however, is denuded in view of the enormous economic burden incurred by youth-on-youth crime and lifestyle diseases as noted by social scientists. Importantly, the move towards greater and effective S4D programmes must be championed and led by trained personnel with not just coaching skills, but the wherewithal to deliver meaningful and effective programmes. Capacity development and training of personnel is, therefore, critical and quite achievable given the wealth of knowledge available. Let us, therefore, seek to inscribe sport boldly on the template of development objectives rather than leaving it as a footnote on the page that is barely read.
John Campbell is a sports physiotherapist and a rehabilitation specialist.
