India's first Sport and Development Conference
The first of its kind in India, this conference sought to bring together stakeholders and raise critical points on developing grassroots sport or 'Sport for All' and reaching key development objectives through sport in India.
Maidan
The event helped international observers understand the Indian context of Sport & Development and to become informed about the key challenges to Sport & Development establishing a strong position on the national development agenda in the country.
Sport and Sport & Development in India
Sport, in comparison with other key development objectives such as education and economic development, does not enjoy a high level of priority in India, as is the case in many other countries across the world.
But increasing acknowledgement of the role sport can play in human, social and community development, coupled with opportunities brought by large sporting events (such as the upcoming Commonwealth Games 2010 to be hosted in New Delhi in October) helps to draw attention to Sport & Development in India.
Experiencing S&D and measuring impact
Eye-opening, personal stories shared by the youth coaches and peer leaders of the Magic Bus programme helped to give the issues raised a 'human face'. The presentation given by Fred Coalter on Monitoring & Evaluation fast-tracked participants (many of whom had just been introduced to the notion of 'Sport & Development') towards some of the current challenges in measuring the impact of Sport & Development interventions.
Ways forward
In comparison to Africa, the presence of Sport & Development in India is low. It's hoped that events like the Maidan Summit will be repeated in future to ensure an exchange of ideas and visibility of Sport & Development in India will increase.
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