IDSDP: Let’s do even better next year

On Sunday 6 April, the sport and development community celebrated the first International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This United Nations recognised observance day gave us the opportunity to advocate for change, celebrate sport’s role as a tool in initiating change and reflect on how best to move forward as a sector.

The day was embraced by many members of the community, as illustrated by the large number of submissions sportanddev received for the “who’s doing what” page of our IDSDP section. This included large and influential organisations as well as those who are newer, smaller or less established.

A high level of engagement
The UNOSDP hosted a high-level panel discussion and symbolic walk/run around the UN’s Palais des Nations in Geneva. Magic Bus India organised a tennis clinic and photo exhibition. The IOC and various national Olympic committees launched a series of events globally. The Victoria Sports Association promoted hygiene-related disease prevention in Uganda and the supporter’s club of Nepal’s national women’s cricket team organised an event to promote gender equality and collect signatures for a petition.

We didn’t just hear from organisations but some individuals also contacted us, wishing to express the importance of the day to them and how they plan to mark it. Josh Budish, a student at Arcadia University, shared news about his upcoming research trip to Cameroon and former sportanddev intern Declan Murray highlighted his plans to visit a Kenyan athletics hotspot in the Rift Valley, to see how running is being used to support economic development.

Those participating were also keen to share what the day means for them. The International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICCSPE) described the day as “an important political milestone in terms of raising awareness and creating a sense for the power of sport.” Fiachra O Mathuna, meanwhile, argued 6 April is “an opportunity to raise awareness of and provoke discussion about the S4D sector as well as hopefully promote greater linkages, including partnerships, between the sports and international development sectors.” 

Looking forward to next year
The level of engagement on the day is a positive sign and we should also be encouraged by the fact that some major mainstream outlets provided coverage, potentially helping the sport and development sector to reach a wider audience.

However, with the benefit of having this year’s experience to reflect on, next year we can do even better. A key component should be encouraging further cooperation between different stakeholders and more concentrated efforts to generate widespread media coverage. A year seems like a long time but the next 12 months will pass by quickly and, in order to maximise impact, we should start planning now.