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Sport for Development (SFD) leverages sports as a tool to support broader sustainable development goals, particularly in underserved communities worldwide.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology advances, its application in SFD offers both promising opportunities and significant challenges in areas such as curriculum design, evaluation, and participant engagement. Through a qualitative survey of experts and practitioners analysed through Thematic Analysis (TA), this paper explores perspectives on the potential of AI to enhance the delivery and management of SFD initiatives, as well as potential risks and needs in the field. Key perceived benefits include compensating for deficient organisational capacities and supporting the performance of both administrative and conceptual tasks. Potential risks include the propagation of increasingly generic approaches to SFD programming, loss of critical thinking skills, and concerns around participant safeguarding. To mediate this, exchange, education, and SFD-specific policies are seen as crucial.

Publisher

Tags

South Africa
Africa
All sports
9 - Industry, innovation, technology and infrastructure
Policymakers
Academics
https://www.sportanddev.org/research-and-learning/resource-library/game-changer-harnessing-artificial-intelligence-sport

Resource Details

SVG
Journal Articles
2025
Files
221.58 KB, pdf

Tags

Country
South Africa
Region
Africa
Sport
All sports
Sustainable Development Goals
9 - Industry, innovation, technology and infrastructure
Target Group
Policymakers
Academics