Putting sport and democracy into practice

Here are some ways of how and where sport and democracy may take shape:

• Democratic behaviour and values within a sports activity or sports NGO (intragroup)
• Physical activity that promotes democracy across various groups (intergroup)
• Sport as a tool to contribute to democratic societies (grassroots/community level)
• Governance, government processes, and political elections that affect sports bodies (national level)
• Sports governing bodies’ use of high-profile global sports events to promote human rights (international level)
• Sports venues/spaces to promote participation in election voting
• Sports events to promote trust in government institutions
• Athlete activism to promote human rights and the elevation of underserved people and voices

Democratising the sport for development sector (e.g., ensuring different voices are heard, distributing resources in a more equitable way, addressing power imbalances between different parts of the world). sportanddev and 16 partners have launched the Reshaping Sport and Development campaign to advocate for better equity, access and inclusion in the sector.

Image by Yogendra Singh