Call for articles: Sport and development in Asia

With two international sporting events taking centre stage in Asia, sportanddev calls for articles highlighting sport and development on the world’s largest continent.

As the second Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China comes to a close and final preparations are being made for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, sportanddev asks for insights on sport and development (S&D) in Asia with a view to increasing awareness on the topic.

“The Asian Century”
Comprising 30% of Earth’s total surface area and approximately 60% of the world’s population, Asia is a vast continent with many contrasts, politically, culturally and economically. Some Asian countries have been among the world’s great economic success stories over the last four to five decades, with growth lifting hundreds of millions from extreme poverty and some calling this the “Asian Century”.

However, economic development has not benefitted everyone in Asia. It is home to two-thirds of the world’s poorest and has seen a steady rise in economic disparity, which threatens the momentum of economic growth. Moreover, with many of the world’s modern wars having been fought in Asia, increased environmental degradation resulting in a rise of natural disasters and 563 million malnourished people, it faces some of the most challenging global issues.

S&D in Asia
Sport and development (S&D) has an active presence in Asia with some recent examples including:

sportanddev invites those with experience or opinions on the topic to submit an article. Articles could concentrate on one country, have a regional focus within the continent (e.g. S&D in the Middle East, Indian subcontinent or southeast Asia etc.) or highlight how S&D is tackling some of Asia’s development challenges (e.g. urbanisation, climate change, inequality etc.). Other possible entry points include legacy programmes for major sporting events and the use of traditional Asian sports in S&D.

Submit an article
If you would like to write on this topic, please contact with your idea and we will discuss next steps. We request that articles are submitted by 18:00 (CET) 18 September 2014. Articles should not exceed 400 words and should be written with sportanddev’s How to Write for News and Views guide in mind.

Writing for sportanddev allows you to highlight your work in S&D, improve your writing skills and increase your visibility within the sport and development community. All those interested are welcome to submit articles at any time; just set up a Team Player profile and post your article, event or digital media.