Inaugural IDSDP Overview

On 6 April 2014, the world celebrated the first International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP). Back in 2013, the 3^rd International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development closed with a declaration that included a call for the creation of a UN International Day for Sport and Physical Activity, laying the groundwork for the establishment of the IDSDP. According to the International Olympic Committee, “In 2013, in a historic decision, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly approved by consensus a proclamation establishing this Day to take place each year on 6 April - the date of the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.” The United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) stated that the IDSDP promoted five main themes: the power of sport to advance gender equality, the power of sport to improve physical and mental health, the power of sport to include everyone regardless of abilities, the power of sport to promote respect and dialogue, and the power of sport to enhance life skills of children and youth.

The inaugural IDSDP saw sporting events and activities around the world involving people of all ages, abilities, nationalities and genders. Major organisations from the areas of sport and physical activity were pivotal in making the day a success, including the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics International, Right to Play, SportAccord, Peace and Sport, as well as ICSSPE. International Sport Federations took part as well including the federations for Athletics, Judo, Cycling and Modern Pentathlon. In individual countries, sport organisations such as Magic Bus (India), Sport Matters (Australia), and BlazeSports (Haiti) sponsored well-received events that got people up and moving. Several United Nations agencies were on board as well, including the United Nations Office of Sport for Development and Peace, UNESCO and United Nations Development Programme.

So what did the IDSDP look like on the ground? Several take-aways resulted from the IDSDP. Peace and Sport developed a viral campaign titled “White Card – A Sporting Gesture for Peace.” The purpose of the campaign was to demonstrate the peace through sport movement and rally as much support as possible for the IDSDP. Using the website www.april6.org, more than 345 projects were registered in over 90 countries across 5 continents using 40 different sports.

Here are some specific examples of activities from the IDSDP:

• The Carribean Sport and Development Agency CSDA invited in-country implementing partners from the Caribbean region to organise an event in celebration of April 6^th. Three organisations responded: the Ilonka Elmont Foundation (Suriname), the Campdonia Chelsea Sports Club (St. Vincent & the Grenadines) and the C-HLP Blazing Vibes (Jamaica).  All three organisations hosted a sport festival, which facilitated inclusion of persons with disabilities, gender equality and social cohesion.
• In Haiti, at the Sports Center Dadadou, an inclusive sports festival took place for 150 children from 8 to 17 years of age with various disabilities (physical, sensory and intellectual), mainly from the two major centres of special education in the country, Foyer d'Amour d'Haiti and the Institut Montfort. In addition, 50 youth representing the Haitian Ministry of Youth, Sports and Civic Engagement’s National Talent School of Sports also participated.
• In India, the Magic Bus South Operations team based in Bangalore organised a public photo exhibition at Rangoli Metro Art Centre gallery on MG Road from 10 am to 7:30 pm. The exhibition included photographs of on-the-ground delivery of their Sport for Development programme captured by the field team across three states – Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. The themes covered included education, health, gender equality and leadership, which make up the core of Magic Bus' sports and activity-based programme.
• Special Olympic Indonesia conducted a full-day integrated event in Jakarta named “FUN WITH US” to advance the awareness of activity. The day was attended by 75 athletes and 75 partners and included activities such as Unified Sport, Fun Activity, Youth Summit, and Social Activity.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) did its part to promote the IDSDP through mailings and its online and social platforms supported by a dedicated webpage and a specially developed video clip. The IOC invited the Olympic Movement and athletes to use 6 April as a platform to call for action, and promote sport as a tool for community development and peace. The IOC also asked athletes, through a Twitter campaign, to share their story on how sport changed their lives, and the public to join in the conversation with #betterworld2014. Additionally, the UNOSDP hosted high-level forums in Geneva and New York to coincide with the IDSDP, including a symbolic walk/run in Geneva to celebrate the day.

ICSSPE meanwhile released a Special Edition of the Online News two months in advance of the IDSDP in order to raise awareness and mobilise other organisations. The Edition contained a collection of articles and statements on the significance of this day for all stakeholders, insights and perspectives on the new event, and how organisations were planning to celebrate, reflect and engage on this day. It consisted of contributions by key players from the world of sport and physical activity and addressed policymakers, practitioners and researchers alike.

As an extension of the IDSDP, an international poster competition took place. The contest was a call to action to students and schools around the world to have participants create posters and messages related to the IDSDP and the five themes mentioned above. The competition received 88 entries from more than 20 countries. A global panel of sport for development and peace stakeholders reviewed the posters and recognised the top twelve entries. All entries can be viewed here: http://idsdp.smugmug.com/Poster-contest/n-VJKFd/i-GWRwhm2.

Authors:

Mary A. Hums, University of Louisville, USA

Eli A. Wolff, Brown University, USA