Webinar: Capacity Building in Sport for All – Are We Reaching Our Goals?

On 26 June, TAFISA kicked off the new cycle of its Mission 2030 Webinar Series with a first event on “Capacity Building in Sport for All – Are We Reaching Our Goals?”.  With 600 registrations from over 112 countries around the world, the event provided a platform for discussions around the topic and set the stage to announce the launch of the SUCCEED initiative.

Watch: [M2030] Capacity Building in Sport for All: Are We Reaching Our Goals?

Capacity building has been recognized as a crucial element of success for organizations, but various challenges cause the Sport for All movement to still lag behind in effectively harnessing its potential for growth and skill development. This hinders organizations and limits their ability to effectively use Sport for All to benefit their community. To address these challenges, collaboration stands out as a key strategy; by encouraging collective action, organizations can pool their resources, knowledge, expertise, and networks for enhanced impact. This collaborative approach is essential for driving positive change within the sports sector.

The webinar’s experts from diverse sectors and levels of governance were engaged by moderator Osazemen Aghedo, TAFISA Project Manager, to explore how we can strengthen our approach as members of the Global Sport for All movement to achieve our common objectives. Ytannia Wiggins, Executive Board Member, CANOC, pointed out key barriers and challenges to implementing capacity building program, recognizing the shortage of professional staff in sport organizations as well as an existing knowledge deficiency. Laura-Maria Lehiste (Tiidla), ISCA Head of Development and Partnership, shared the importance of identifying and communicating efficiently with relevant target audiences and beneficiaries through communication and marketing resources.  

During their conversation, guests and panelists emphasized the need to identify and address gaps, avoid duplicating existing tools and initiatives, develop curriculum and frameworks that are complementary, establish a common agenda, and target mutual goals. The discussions underscored the transformative potential of capacity building in Sport for All, stressing its role in community development and empowerment, funding, and gender equity, among others. 

The participants’ high-level engagement complemented the insights shared by speakers and panelists addressing the transformative power of strategic collaboration, collective action and establishing a common agenda and mutual goals.

The webinar was a pivotal milestone as it enabled participants to witness the launch of a new initiative. TAFISA, in collaboration with the IOC through its Olympism365 strategy, introduced SUCCEED – Supporting Communities Empowerment & Development through Sport for All, a framework which aims to strengthen the commitment to capacity-building approaches that promote solidarity, safeguarding, equality, inclusion, human rights and sustainable progress within communities globally. This new initiative represents a significant step forward to capacity building, promoting a collective action in Sport for All. It underscores the vital role of partnerships  in enhancing and amplifying the impact of capacity building initiatives in the sector. 

The Mission2030 webinar on capacity building served as a powerful reminder of the collective efforts needed to advance the Sport for All Movement. By fostering strategic partnerships and innovative frameworks like SUCCEED, the global community can work take great steps towards a more inclusive and empowered future through Sport for All. 

TAFISA would like to once again thank all the speakers and participants for their great contributions and engagement.