Feature: Sport and Human Rights
No.48
September 2006
 
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How You Play the Game:
Creating Sport Programming to Promote and Protect Human Rights
Anita Keller

 

Abstract
The author spent the last four years working in “developing” and post-war nations creating sports programs that include and advocate for people with war-related disabilities. The article discusses how international Sport for Development organizations and national government institutions around the world are working to develop programming that encourages the values of human dignity. It notes where these organizations may still be falling short in their goals. The article suggests best practices for individuals/organizations planning sport programs seeking to promote and protect human rights.

Introduction
In the past 10 years, a new and growing interest in the Sport for Development movement has emerged. This movement received heightened international attention when the United Nations named 2005 the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. Though the principles behind the movement may not be entirely new, an increased number of international organizations have begun working in developing countries in recent years. Organizations are popping up everywhere, all with the intention of using sport as a vehicle to improve the lives of individuals and entire communities. Organizations such as Right to Play, Grassroots Soccer, Sports for Life and Playing for Peace are just a few. Working hand in hand with local organizations and national governments, these organizations develop accessible and educational sport programs.
Though the organizations vary in size, focus area and approach to programming, they all share the belief that sport can be a cost-effective, extremely enticing and exciting method to stimulate development. “Development” can include a variety of improvements to quality of life such as improved health, education and economic opportunity. Development should be considered a human right in and of itself, but it is also a process leading to the protection of human rights and dignity. Sport can be considered similarly. In recent years, many have contended that the access to sport is itself a human right (UNESCO, n.d.). Sport, however, can also be used as a vehicle for achieving, promoting and protecting human rights (Blauwett, 2005). This can only be done however, if program planners and participants are aware of the issues connecting sport and human rights and consistently strive to use a human rights approach to program planning and implementation.

Stories from the Field
Both national governments/organizations and international non-profits are making great efforts to increase access to sport and recreation for people living in developing nations, including women, children and people with disabilities. Though the international community is being made more aware of the relationship between sport and human rights, it is clear there is a long way to go before sports programming consistently promotes and protects human rights. The following examples from my own experience demonstrate areas where even the best-intentioned programs reinforce a violation of human rights. I have intentionally excluded names and logistical details in order to protect the identity of the individuals interviewed.
Vietnam
In 2005, during my visit to a national sports training facility in Hanoi, Vietnam, athletes with disabilities explained that though all athletes present had recently qualified for an upcoming international sporting event, only a select few would be considered by the government of Vietnam to actually participate in this event. They knew, however, that a higher percentage of their “able-bodied” counterparts would be chosen to participate. They also mentioned that athletes with disabilities were only allowed to use this particular facility after 06:00 during special training periods such as this one. They said this was a common rule for many of the top sporting facilities in Hanoi. Though they said they were discouraged by these practices, they also recognized a need to continue to give their best effort in order to increase the opportunities for future athletes with disabilities in Vietnam.
United States/Africa
Recently I spoke with the leading member of an organization that brings professional basketball players from the United States to African countries to teach about HIV/AIDS through basketball. The participants in the first two programs had been predominantly “able-bodied” boys. I approached this leader with the idea of a partnership so that more athletes of different backgrounds could be included in this beneficial program. When I suggested we find a way to include our wheelchair basketball athletes and work to attract participants with disabilities, his response was “That’s not our thing.” Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon response. However, it was extremely disappointing considering the recent reports stating people with disabilities are equally vulnerable to HIV/AIDS as their able-bodied counterparts (Groce & Trasi, 2004).
A Country in Africa
Several years ago, the National Paralympic Committee held a workshop for trainers, referees and athletes involved in the budding wheelchair basketball program. During the workshop, the trainers and referees (all of whom were “able-bodied”) were provided with double or quadruple rooms. The athletes, all of whom had a physical disability, were placed in group rooms. Many of them did not have proper beds and were required to sleep on foam mattresses on the floor. During lunch, trainers and referees were given the choice between two meals, one European-style, the other African-style. The athletes were automatically provided with the African-style meal. After the second day, the athletes wrote a letter to the Committee and staged a small protest. The following day they were allowed a choice of meals and the Committee made an effort to be sure each athlete had decent sleeping accommodations.
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are considered by many to be a shining example of how sport can be used to promote human rights. These Games highlight the skills and abilities of athletes with physical and some sensory disabilities. Athletes with disabilities from around the world have demonstrated their skills and strengths in this international venue. However, athletes from developing countries have a difficult time being able to participate in these Games. First, they face the obvious challenges of obtaining any resources at all for training and competition. But even more impossible to overcome are athlete classification systems and equipment standards that teams from developing countries simply can not meet, at least not without foreign intervention. Although governing bodies create these systems and standards to protect the athlete and provide growth opportunities for the sport, they have all been created in developed countries where the survivors of various disabilities and the equipment available are simply different and unequal to those in developing countries. Athletes from developing countries will continue to be consistently excluded from certain sports until the rules are adapted or the quality of life in these countries is significantly improved.
United States
As a teenage student, growing up in the mid-western United States in the 1990s, I played competitive sports for my junior and senior high schools. During that time, my fellow female athletes and I often mourned the fact that our teams were never issued new uniforms. Every other year, the boys’ teams received new uniforms and the girls’ teams were provided with the hand-me-downs of the boys teams from the year before. This was viewed as an effective cost-cutting measure by the (all male) administration of the schools. Interestingly, I was told two years ago that this practice still continues.
This example seems unimportant compared to the challenges faced by the individuals mentioned earlier in this paper, who often have no access to equipment whatsoever. However, it definitely sent an insidious message to all the female athletes, “You deserve less than the male athletes.” It also shows how common inequitable resource distribution is, even in the United States, where the amount of resources available for sport is probably greater than anywhere else in the world.
In each of these examples, well-intentioned organizations reinforce social insults to human dignity. These situations may not seem extreme because they simply reinforce the status quo within a given society. They reinforce the idea that one group is better than another and therefore more deserving of resources. Luckily, we also often see members of groups affected by these ideas standing up and changing them. They are able to use the sport field as a playing field for addressing larger societal issues. This of course can only be done in an environment open and conducive for change.

Recommended Best Practices
The challenge to use sport as a tool to address human rights issues starts within the programs themselves. Governments continue to develop laws making access to sport a right for all, but acceptance of these laws can take a long time, and even after ratification, may often be of low priority for enforcement. Also, the laws do not explain how to make sport a right for all and can leave room for interpretation. It is therefore crucial that people involved in sports programming be aware of the need for a human rights approach in program planning and implementation.
During the last four years, I have worked with a program called Sports for Life, which is dedicated to increasing sporting opportunities for people with disabilities. The intention of the program is to use sport as a tool to allow people with disabilities to advocate for themselves within the world of sport and beyond. The programs have achieved important successes, but have also faced frustrations and shortfalls. The lessons learned through these programs lead to the following suggestions of best practices for program planners:
  1. Seek diversity in top management staff/advisors. It is amazing to witness the number of development organizations, including those within sport for development circles, whose primary decision making body lacks diversity in gender, race, physical ability/disability and socio-economic status. Without members who possess direct experience from a variety of social perspectives, decision makers often make decisions based on their own experience or based on research often generated by individuals/organizations with similar make-ups. This is not to say these individuals are incapable of making good decisions for the people they serve. It simply shows the need for making our organizations inclusive and diverse at the very top levels in an effort to ensure the individuals we serve are in fact actors in their own destinies and not simply acted upon. As exemplary organizations, it is imperative to practice what we preach, especially at the highest levels.
  2. Promote diversity/inclusivity in early stages of program planning. Needs assessments should include a variety of members of the community, not just high-ranking members of the sport community. The groups involved in needs assessments and program planning should represent the diversity of the entire community. If there is potential for tension between various members of this community, such as between different ethnic groups, men and women, or people of different social rank, it is important to create an atmosphere where people will feel comfortable talking with each other.
  3. Promote diversity in staff/volunteers/trainers. Engaging diverse staff members in countries where a certain ethnic group, gender, or social class has been excluded from education and leadership opportunities is particularly challenging. Often the candidates who appear to be the “best” in a Curriculum Vitae or during an interview come from very similar backgrounds. Seek to engage a well-rounded staff made up of individuals who can make different contributions based on their own personal experiences.
  4. Seek ways to include a democratic process in program activities. Many people in post-war countries, especially those who are socially disenfranchised, have never had the chance to vote and do not have experience in making this kind of choice. Sport provides ample opportunities to present ways for choosing a leader and recognizing individuals or groups for various strengths. The group should discuss what qualities make a good leader and decide a process for safe and secure voting that will be accessible to all members. This can be an exciting and enlightening exercise for groups including members who cannot read, hear, see, or have other challenges prohibiting them from voting in the traditional manner.
  5. Find ways to award skills/qualities besides “winning.” Keeping a humane perspective in competitive sports can be particularly challenging, since the main goal is to “win, win, win” rather than ensure your opponent has an equal opportunity. It is therefore important for program planners to find ways to award individuals/teams for strengths, besides simply winning a game or being the strongest athlete. Teams need to recognize that each team member brings value and a particular strength. Sportsmanship Awards, Most Improved Player/Team Awards, Best Attitude Awards and the like can go a long way in building leadership and teamwork. The group should be allowed to identify how these awards are given, utilizing a democratic process.
  6. Guarantee equitable equipment distribution. Ministries of Youth and Sport in developing countries consistently demonstrate inequity in equipment distribution. Female athletes and athletes with disabilities almost always receive less equipment, prize money, facility access and other resources from government bodies (if they receive anything at all) than their male, able-bodied counterparts. It is important to ensure groups within programs have equal access to equipment and facilities.
  7. Include non-competitive, cooperative games. Cooperative games are great ways to accomplish a team goal while including people of all different sizes, ages, genders, races and ability levels. While these games are especially effective in building teamwork for a group that expects to work together, they are also valuable in getting teams that may often compete against each other to come together in a non-competitive way.
  8. Consider diversity in programming. It is important to consider the varied interests in a community when planning programs. Program planners should strive to reach as broad and inclusive an audience as possible. It is unlikely, for example, that a group of women with disabilities is going to want to participate in a program teaching only wheelchair rugby. A program intending to address the needs of people with disabilities should also include an element to attract women and girls. It is important to note this suggestion is not meant to “dilute” a program’s focus or message. One program cannot possibly provide programming for every group in a community. It is also impossible to address every issue that exists in a community. An organization known for using basketball to teach children about HIV/AIDS does not need to suddenly include football to teach peace as a part of its programming. However, it would be good to find ways to include female basketball players and wheelchair basketball athletes in the program. This can be done within the program itself or by cooperating with other organizations in the community.
  9. Hold regular “sector” meetings with other Sport for Development organizations. Within the field of international development, it is fairly common for organizations working in the same sector to hold regular sector meetings. Donors or hosting government bodies for large sectors such as health, education and emergency aid often require these meetings in an effort to avoid redundancy of services and to ensure as many parts of the community are being served in a coordinated and organized way as possible. Probably because our sector (Sport for Development organizations) is still small and because there is no form of external policing, this kind of meeting does not consistently take place in the field. Because the programs are often small, one organization may not even know about another organization working 15 miles or 20 kilometers away. This lack of coordination leads to an unnecessary loss of myriad opportunities for collaboration and growth among Sport for Development organizations, as well as a potentially lower quality of services for participants.
  10. Avoid enabling corrupt governments/political parties. Governments and political parties will often want to take credit for athletes, especially when they have reached an elite, international level. It is natural for athletes to want to show national pride and this should be encouraged when it is appropriate. Individuals should always be allowed to express their opinions and affiliations. However, athletes/teams should not be used to advocate for a political party or as a “good example” from a corrupt regime, especially against their will. Programs planned by non-governmental, non-profit organizations should not be used as political platforms.
  11. Encourage sportsmanship and mutual respect between teams. Program planners should encourage all participants to behave in a respectful way. Starting and finishing games with a handshake (crutchshake, or wheelchair tap as appropriate) sets the stage for the rest of the activity. Sportsmanship Awards during competitions demonstrate the appreciation for fair play. Qualified and skilled referees and trainers guarantee practices and competitions proceed in a respectful way.
  12. Develop tools and systems for monitoring and evaluation. Sport for Development organizations need to develop meaningful tools for self-evaluation and sector evaluation. These tools should monitor the progress of the intended program goal (i.e. number of athletes with reduced risk of contracting HIV/AIDS), but should also include methods for evaluating the promotion and protection of human rights within the program.
Conclusion
This list is merely a beginning of how to develop sport programs that serve as examples to the world at large. It is up to program planners and participants to constantly monitor and manage their own programs to promote and protect human rights and to share their suggestions for improvement with the Sport for Development community.

References
Blauwet, C. (2005). Promoting the health and human rights of individuals with a disability through the Paralympic Movement.” International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved from www.paraympic.org.
Groce N., & Trasi, R. ( 2004). Rape of individuals with disability: AIDS and the folk belief of virgin cleansing. The LANCET, 363, 1663-1664.

UNESCO. (n.d.) International Charter of Physical Education and Sport. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Retrieved from: http://www.unesco.org/education/information/nfsunesco/pdf/


Contact
Anita Keller
Sports for Life Program Manager
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation
Washington
USA
akeller@vi.org




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