2022 on sportanddev: A year in review
January
The year started with the Australian Open. Controversy reigned as the world’s former number one tennis player Novak Djokovic was deported from Australia on grounds of public health interest. His case drew attention to vaccine hesitancy, athletes as role models, and the plight of detainees and asylum seekers in Australia.
2022 also marked 100 years since women’s events were added to the tournament, and Australian pride reigned as countrywoman Ashleigh Barty, a member of the Ngaragu Aboriginal people, won the women’s title, making her the first Australian woman to win the title since 1978.
A second report on fundraising in the sport for development sector was released by Oaks Foundation, which noted that despite the continued challenges of COVID-19, there was renewed hope and optimism from organisations in the sector.
February
February saw the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics take place, which were held in a closed-loop given the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Human rights concerns were raised against the hosts by US and Tibetan activists. At the Games, Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva’s doping scandal raised questions of child safeguarding in professional sport.
We announced a new partnership with web development company Vardot to build an upgraded website in order to better serve the sportanddev community, part of our Reshaping Sport and Development campaign.
March
With Russia invading Ukraine, the sport world sprang into action to condemn the war. Many sport bodies spoke out against Russia and its supporter, Belarus, including sport federations, professional teams and clubs, athletes and sportspersons, and sport for development organisations.
The Beijing Winter Paralympics continued, with the International Paralympic Committee banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating.
In celebration of Women’s History Month, we highlighted the long fight for women’s inclusion in sport, and how 2022 was positioned to be the year for women’s sport.
April
April 6 marked the 8th annual International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Creating a historical link to the first modern Olympic Games of 1896, the United Nations General Assembly declared 6 April, 2013, as the first annual International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Two young boys – one from India and another from Pakistan – raised white cards to make a gesture of peace and friendship towards each other and for their countries.
April marked Dalit History Month, and we highlighted six Dalit athletes who have broken barriers to make their mark in the sporting world.
May
We launched a call for articles on reshaping sport for development, part of our ongoing global campaign. The call for articles, which accepted articles for three months, received over 90 contributions in English, French, Arabic and Spanish from across the world.
We highlighted how Street Culture, a Ukrainian sport for development organisation, was working to create safe spaces for those trying to escape the ongoing war.
We recognised Mental Health Awareness Month by profiling athletes who have spoken out about their mental health challenges.
June
We continued to receive contributions on reshaping sport and development. We highlighted our global massive open online course (MOOC) on sport for sustainable development, which has engaged over 5,600 learners from across 185 countries.
July
We formalised a partnership with Yunus Sports Hub to develop and strengthen social business among actors using sport for development.
We wrote about how grassroots sport and sport for development are strong sectors which can drive sustainable development.
We highlighted how Title IX changed the landscape for women’s sport, marking 50 years since the passing of the breakthrough law in the US.
August
The Japan Sport Council and sportanddev launched a comprehensive global guidebook ‘Bridging the Divide,’ designed to build capacity among actors using sport for development. The open-access guidebook is currently available in English and Japanese. An interactive webinar was held with various stakeholders to discuss the importance of this resource and how it can help in setting up sport for development initiatives.
September
Together with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Sport for Refugees Coalition, we launched another call for articles on how sport can better respond to refugee situations and other crises, such as the conflict in Ukraine. We received over 20 articles from the sportanddev community, with examples of practical steps that have been taken to harness the power of sport in supporting refugees.
We launched a search for a new host for sportanddev, releasing a call for proposals for organisations to apply.
October
Furthering our conversations on how to reshape sport and development, we held a webinar with campaign partners and article authors to discuss concrete steps that can be taken by the sport and development sector moving forward.
We marked World Mental Health Day on 10 October by highlighting how elite sport can make mental health and wellbeing a priority, acknowledging athletes who have been open about their personal struggles.
November
We joined Laureus for their SportsLAB session, along with the Japan Sport Council, to discuss how our guidebook was realised and the value of this resource in today’s sport for development landscape.
We marked Transgender Awareness Week by profiling six trans athletes who have made an impact in the sports world.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar began. Prior to the start of the tournament, Generation Amazing held its fourth annual Youth Festival. UNHCR passed its first-ever sports strategy, recognising that sport is more than a game for refugees and those forcibly displaced.
December
We held a webinar with the Sport for Refugees Coalition which focussed on how sport can better respond to refugee crises, as part of our week of action on sport and refugees 2022. The interactive webinar stimulated debate and action on how sport can take on a leading role in such situations.
The UN General Assembly passed a new resolution recognising the transformative power of sport, and released a new report on how sport has advanced the Sustainable Development Goals.
The year ended on a high for the sporting world, with a nail-biting FIFA World Cup final, which saw Argentina win over France during the penalty shoot-out. This was the first win for Argentina since 1986. The riveting match also saw a hat trick scored by Frenchman Kylian Mbappe, becoming the second player to do so in a World Cup final.
Looking forward
2023 ushers in an exciting new time for sportanddev, as we look to expand the platform to other languages than just English and French. We will also be launching a revamped website, as part of our ongoing campaign to reshape sport and development, to make our site and the information on it more accessible to more people across the world.
The year will also bring change to sportanddev, as we transition to a new host organisation. More information to come.
We thank you all for being a part of the sportanddev community, and hope you continue to contribute your thoughts and opinions on our website.
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