Sport for good and the need for hard choices

By Simone Galimberti

I must confess something. I always felt uneasy about calling our work "sport for development". When asked about it, I found it difficult to explain. For me, sport is naturally about development at both individual and societal levels. Development is at the core of sport. It's a foundational pillar. I see it as an essential element that applies to all forms of sport.

Sport exists on a continuum from amateur to professional levels. At every level, it should bring positive changes to those who practice it. Yet we are often disappointed by how sport unfolds, especially at professional levels. Sometimes this positive change doesn't happen. Other times it gets overshadowed by shameful episodes of racism or physical violence. These incidents shouldn't make us lose sight of what sport is really about. We certainly can't minimize or normalize such behavior. To avoid it in the future, we should return to sport's original essence.

The ongoing aid crisis could be an opportunity. This crisis combines two factors. First, the Trump administration's decision to cut foreign aid. Second, wars and tensions that force nations to spend on weapons instead. This situation gives us a chance to reset and rethink sport as a whole.

Categorizing our work as "sport for development" is practical and convenient. But I've noticed a problem. We've created an unnecessary division in sport. Some of us do grassroots sport to help communities. Others do professional sport. In between lies amateur sport, which gets little recognition. The connections between these three areas are weak. At best, professional sport supports grassroots work through corporate social responsibility programs. This top-down support is mostly symbolic.

Instead of fighting to restore funding, shouldn't we ask difficult questions? Can't we use this crisis to rethink our approach? Why not try reframing the entire sport sector? I believe we should start calling our work "sport for good". This isn't just rebranding. It's an effort to bridge divisions and reconceptualize all sport as "sport for good".

The massive professional sport industry should also rethink its approach. We need deep reflection to rediscover sport's forgotten roots and purpose. This includes professional sport's highest levels. I'm not naive. The entire sport industry won't change overnight. But some standards and principles could be better integrated throughout the sector.

What would this transformation mean for grassroots work? Financial resources will remain essential. Professional sport should do much more to support grassroots work with local communities. Corporate sectors could also increase their contributions significantly. But we might need to reconsider volunteerism's role.

Many of us have worked hard to attract donors and become "professional" by creating full-time organizations with paid staff. We've always promoted volunteerism to support our activities. But perhaps in trying to professionalize our work, we forgot volunteerism's true value. We became comfortable thinking that sport for development was just another type of development work. We highlighted volunteering but only in limited ways. We saw mobilizing local youth as virtuous while many of us held paid positions.

Perhaps only a limited number of organizations will survive. Maybe only the best organized will continue, expand, and reach new heights. This means fewer organizations overall. But those remaining would thrive and become true engines of change because they'd finally be positioned to deliver results.

What about the rest of us who might not find new resources? We shouldn't give up our good work. We should adjust to a new reality and rediscover volunteerism's potential. Instead of fighting to maintain small offices with limited impact, maybe we should embrace volunteerism. We could give up the dream of running full-time organizations. This doesn't mean abandoning our mission. It means embracing it in a different form.

Funding for volunteer-run organizations shouldn't stop completely. But it could be redirected to support ground-level activities rather than fighting impossible battles. Focusing too much on finding unavailable funding would paralyze our work. I know many dedicated nonprofits run entirely or mostly by volunteers. They do excellent work. The people behind them are models of responsible citizenship. They dedicate their free time to the common good in a cost-effective way.

I understand my proposal is still general and undeveloped. It might seem provocative. I don't have all the answers. Many believe funding should be restored somehow. Others think our sector should be spared from aid cuts because we're different from traditional development work. I respect these opinions. But the entire aid sector has room for improvement. Even in the best scenario, we should reflect on our work.

I end with hope. Despite mounting frustrations and difficult decisions ahead, we should remain proud of our achievements. This isn't the end of our journey. Difficult circumstances are testing our resolve. I'm not calling for retreat. I'm inviting us to think about our work and mission differently while maintaining big ambitions and vision. This is just an initial sketch of a different vision of sport. In this vision, all forms of sport truly serve the good of our societies. It's up to all of us to find the creativity and determination to develop this "sport for good" canvas and shape sport's future.

About the author

The writer is the co-founder of ENGAGE, a local nonprofit in Nepal promoting sport with youth and adults living with disabilities.