The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2019 under the gaze of the media

The sixth edition of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) took place on 6 April 2019. Let’s see how the day was covered in press around the world.

In 2013, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 6 April as The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). Celebrated every year all over the world, the day aims to promote sport as a vehicle for change. This is an opportunity for active players within sport and development to organise various activities such as solidarity-based races and tournaments, sport gatherings, video challenges, or digital campaigns to highlight the potential role sport can play in addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

IDSDP 2019 on social media

Social media is a popular means of promoting the IDSDP and spreading its values. Many NGOs, UN and development agencies, sport organisations as well as amateur and professional athletes celebrated IDSDP using the hashtags #IDSDP2019, #WhiteCard, #April6 and #Sport4SDGs. The all-round champion this year was the #WhiteCard campaign from Peace and Sport, which reached 98 million people (a substantial increase from 90 million in 2018, and 43 million in 2017).

IDSDP 2019 in the mainstream press

Lots of media outlets from all around the globe mentioned IDSDP, including:

IDSDP 2019: Global trends

While relatively under-reported by the French-speaking press in North America and Europe – with the exception of the Monegasque media - the IDSDP had a strong presence in the African French-speaking press. On the front line were Cameroon and Morocco, where several newspapers recalled that IDSDP was born from a suggestion of the Moroccan National Olympic Committee.

The international English-speaking press dedicated quite a few articles to the IDSDP and highlighted some initiatives, notably, a series of simultaneous football games set up by the Jordan-based organisation Generation For Peace in nine different countries across six different time zones. As usual, the Spanish-speaking press relayed several events related to IDSDP, particularly in Spain and Mexico. Finally, among the big sport organisations, the International Olympic Committee chose to highlight the work of four NGOs inspiring inclusion, equality and resilience through sport.

This sixth edition of the IDSDP demonstrates that the concept of using sport as a development tool is taking off globally. Initiatives to celebrate IDSDP and their media coverage increase every year. However, just as 6 April is a great opportunity to promote sport as a powerful vector for change, daily actions are equally as important. The sportanddev Operating Team hopes that you enjoyed this IDSDP and invites you to continue this momentum in sport and development throughout the rest of the year.

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