|  | Member's News | No.50 May 2007 |

The Global Sport for All Movement: Achievements and Challenges Wolfgang Baumann |
Only 50 years ago, a new wave in the development of modern sport began its successful course around the world. During the second half of the 20th century, sport development, along side the well-established branch of elite sport, grew into an additional and global branch of the sporting field. Under the name Sport for All, programs developed all over the world which intended to give everybody access to sport. Participation, in contrast to competition, has been the key word for this movement. Its concept has no restrictions to the young and talented few – it is an open and inclusive strategy where everybody can participate: from the young to the very old regardless sex, race and economic conditions. The sport system thus has adapted to the challenges and changes of contemporary life styles. Worldwide, sport grew into a new dimension of participation: more than one billion participants are estimated in Sport for All today and the figures are increasing steadily! What does this mean to us as national leaders of Sport for All in our countries? Is there any reference and meaning for our work? Indeed, it is time to find out what our current status is! For that reason, I would like to start with our successes and then point out some of the major challenges we have to meet. What are our successes so far we can build on? I would like to apply five keywords, which to me seem important: growth, recognition, programs and regionalisation. The first keyword is Growth Indeed, the Sport for All Movement is growing constantly. This is not only reflected by the growing number of participants but also by the increasing number and variety of Sport for All organisations which have been founded over the last decade. If, for instance, you analyse the structure of TAFISA, you will agree that it was wise to accept primarily those institutions which in the respective countries are responsible for national Sport for All programs. We did not insist that only the sport federations or government oriented institutions could join. We see this as doing the job. That was the right decision. TAFISA thus has a quite colourful setup. There are National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and special Recreation Sport Organisations, there are Ministries and Sport Federations, Sport Councils and Academic Institutions. More than 150 different organisations from 110 countries from all continents are members at present. This diversity in the structure is not a sign of missing clarity; it endorses our strength in flexibility. The second keyword is Recognition Sport for All, as represented by our organisations, is well respected in the international fields of culture, public health and sciences. The major reason for this is that we are considered to have a very practical and realistic approach to applying Sport for All programs. Once again, we are not the academics but the practitioners. As a result, TAFISA: has signed a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the World Health Organization (WHO) recently, in order to offer its network for the practical application of the WHO “Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” has been granted a privileged membership in CIGEPS, which is the respective UNESCO branch for physical activity and traditional sport cultures is strongly recognised by ICSSPE as a leading international Sport for All organisation is officially acknowledged by the IOC. The third keyword is Programs There can be no doubt; practical programs are the strong points of our work. When referring to the USP (Unique Selling Point) of our organisations, programs of various kinds belong to our outstanding and most characteristic features. As a result, for most of our members, we are associated with practical programs and it is recommended that also in future we should emphasis this strong point. Moreover, Sport for All programs: make us visible in the public can be the focus for co-operations with partners like WHO, UNESCO etc. are an excellent platform for sponsorship projects are a special service expected by the members The dominance of Sport for All programs in our work can be documented by the findings of a TAFISA survey amongst our members. The following trends are very obvious: The return to traditional games The return to simplicity The return to public spaces The return to low or no cost concepts The fourth key word is Regionalisation As mentioned before, we have to face regional differences concerning the development of Sport for All in our member countries. One of the answers to cope with the different demands is our intention to establish a sub-continental or regional TAFISA structure. “To think global and act regional” obviously will be a decisive aspect for the success of our future work. Two regional TAFISA bodies already exist: ASFAA for Asia and Oceania and ESFAN for Europe. There are other initiatives also underway, namely in Latin America. In the long-run it is our vision to have a global network of regional TAFISA bodies under the umbrella of TAFISA. To conclude, we can be proud of what we have achieved! Over the last centuries, due to our joint efforts, Sport for All has grown into a most conspicuous phenomena. But there are challenges waiting for us that we have to face realistically. Indeed, the claim “Sport for All” hangs still high above our heads. It is a very ambitious task we have given to ourselves. We are far from saying that our mission is done. The walk to the finish line of “all” is still a very long one. Maybe we should change our goal from “Sport for All” to “Sport for the Most” to make it a little bit more realistic and feasible! What are the issues that will need special consideration in our future work? Again I would like to put forward five keywords: strategy, physical activity, leadership education and social capital Strategy Indeed, we have to be prepared for new demands and ready to cope with the contemporary challenges. What does this mean precisely for our strategy? Let me give you four aspects indispensable for our work: Flexibility We have to accept that there is a steady change of social, political and economic conditions around us which we have to adapt to. Sport for All cannot be seen as isolated – it is strongly dependent on these changes and thus needs the flexibility to react appropriately. This might include giving up old habits which we have gotten used to but that do not work anymore. We must be open to new approaches and strategies. Sometimes it is not easy to give up what we are used to but it is necessary to survive! Networking We need a regular exchange of experiences and knowledge in Sport for All. Duplication of work has to be avoided since it is not economical, especially with the poor financial conditions most of us are working under. A systematic transfer of knowledge between us should be the target. What has been developed successfully in one country should be available for everybody! A new solidarity in Sport for All – that is what we need! However, this requires a global technique with access for all of us. For that reason TAFISA offers its relaunched website Tafisa.net where we have created the so called “Market Place” which is designed to serve as an exchange platform. And we also need opportunities where we meet face to face. This ASFAA Congress is just a fine example to get to know each other and establish partnerships! Learning Organisation My third catch word can be described as the “learning organisation”. This not only refers to us as individuals but also to our organisation as such! We have to accept that our knowledge doubles every two years. Moreover, it can be proved that the know-how we need for our daily work and on which our decisions are based on, becomes obsolete after 5 years. Therefore, we have to educate ourselves constantly, especially by using modern information technology. Those who fail in this respect will be the losers! CRM Yes indeed, a very clumsy term. CRM stands for “Consumer Relation Management”, a term widely used in the business world. What is the connection to our work you might ask? Above all – and we should be aware of this – the success of our work is measured by the reaction of our target groups, that is, our members for example. To satisfy them, and not ourselves, should be our utmost aim! In this instance, we must ask the questions “Who are my consumers?” and “What are their demands?”. If you do not know the answers to these questions, it is extremely difficult to offer the services they are expecting. Leadership Education One of the most frequent questions put forward to TAFISA refers to the demand of educational schemes for the training of Sport for All leaders. We do not only feel responsible for the national directors, who may meet at our ASFAA and TAFISA biannual congresses. The new approach deals with the transfer of knowledge beyond the national level down to the regional level leaders. Obviously, there seems to be a lack of adequate programs on a regional level incorporating the specific skills and competences required in Sport for All for this second target group. One of TAFISA’s answers is the development of the so-called “TAFISA Certified Leadership Courses”, which are addressing regional representatives who are already in a leading position in Sport for All, or have been assumed will reach this position in the future. Four courses are planned for this year in Lagos (Nigeria), Tehran (Iran), Warsaw (Poland) and Macao. Physical Activity We have to be aware that there is a shift of focus concerning our subject. It is not enough to have a concept of human movement which exclusively emphasis the term sport. As a matter of fact, our role goes beyond bringing people into sports, into track and field or volleyball or table tennis. Our task is also to make all people move their body at least 30 minutes a day, to be physically active, to walk, bike, keep the body exercising in work and leisure, without rules and competition! That is the basis of Sport for All. And it is directed to billions of people. That is why TAFISA has become a partner of the World Health Organization and its Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Social Capital When talking about the benefits of Sport for All, our perspective usually is the individual. But we should equally document the advantages Sport for All has for society as a whole. This makes us a stronger partner for governments and ministries! Indeed, the social benefits of Sport for All for the well being of a society are tremendous and can be proved by numerous findings. I count the following six areas where Sport for All generates social capital: Improvement of health Life quality for the elderly Integration of excluded social groups Provision of new jobs Decrease of violence Counterpart to virtual reality It is has been my intention to answer the question whether we are prepared to meet the contemporary and future challenges in Sport for All on a global level. My answer is a clear yes! However, we have to accept that the system of Sport for All must be open for changes to cope with the new challenges. But at the same time, we are comforted by our successes. Obviously, we cannot sit back and relax – and in many ways we still have some pioneering work to do! However, it is my personal belief that this century will be the century of Sport for All. Only Sport for All has the huge potential of giving health, joy, togetherness and understanding, which the world needs. Let us continue step by step in an act of special solidarity to make this a reality! Contact Wolfgang Baumann Trim and Fitness International Sport for All Association (TAFISA) Frankfurt GERMANY Email: baumann@tafisa.net http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 The Global Sport for All Movement: Achievements and Challenges Wolfgang Baumann