Calling for Collaboration

As programme partner of Play The Game, ICSSPE organised an expert session on holistic sport policies.

Entitled “Managing conflicting Agendas – Profit, Participation or Performance?” the session took place on Thursday 31 October 2013 and explored perspectives for comprehensive sport policies and systems under consideration of the different interests of all actors and sectors involved in sport and health. This included an assessment of objectives, strengths and deficits, risks and opportunities, bearing in mind pressing issues commonly referred to with terms such as integrity, accessibility, sustainability, transparency and accountability. The approach was thought of as encompassing all relevant sectors and actors while stressing the interconnectedness of all themes covered by national and international sport policies, i.e. participation on different levels for different groups of population, physical education, infrastructure, mega events or good governance.

The session was chaired by ICSSPE President Margaret Talbot and started with a presentation by Koen Breedveld (Mulier Instituut, Netherlands) who delivered an overview of approaches, concepts and topics in comparative sport policy research. Karen Petry (German Sport University Cologne) then provided insights into the role of governments and respective policies with a focus on grassroots and participation. James Dorsey (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore) continued by portraying the link between sports and politics drawing upon examples from the Middle East and Asia, followed by Ben Weinberg (ICSSPE) who outlined the significance of international sport governing bodies based on a case study of the Asian Football Confederation. Margaret Talbot completed the session by compiling all insights, putting them into context and emphasising the importance of developing holistic sport-political concepts through multi-disciplinary collaboration. She then reiterated her arguments in the final plenary session of the conference, where she elaborated on the challenges of Physical Education and Science.

The conference title was "Stepping up for democracy in sport" and the topics encompassed all relevant aspects related to sport and society. Approximately 350 journalists, scientists and sport officials from 38 countries participated in this global communication forum and helped fostering dialogues and debates on current challenges and perspectives that sport and society envisage.

Photos, videos and presentations will be made available through http://www.playthegame.org/conferences/play-the-game-2013.html