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Annexure 4
Workshop on Sport and Social Inclusion
Concept Note
It is widely held that sport can contribute to societal inclusion in a variety of ways: Sport is a universal language that moves and inspires
people all around the world and brings them together. Sports when used appropriately can bridge divide. Participation in sport teaches
important life skills, builds self-esteem and promotes the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups, such as migrants, persons with physical
or intellectual disabilities or young people involved in or at risk of deviant social behaviour.
The United Nations designated 2004 as the Year of Physical Education through Sport, pointing out that 'access to and participation in sport
and physical education provide an opportunity to enjoy social and moral inclusion for populations otherwise marginalized by social,
cultural or religious barriers due to gender, disability or other distinctions'.
Sport has a major potential as a tool for promoting social inclusion and social cohesion in societies.
Sport provides citizens with opportunities to interact and join social networks; it helps immigrants to develop relations with other member
of society; and it constitutes a tool for reaching out to the underprivileged or groups at risk of or facing discrimination. Through its
contribution to economic growth and job creation, it can also help to revitalise disadvantaged areas. There is recognition that sport and
recreation play a major and unique role in psychosocial programming for children and young people affected by major disasters and
conflict in different part of the world.
Sport plays a role in promoting gender equality and in the integration of people with disabilities. The football club Espérance in Rwanda,
for example, has established a Football for Peace program based on a Brazilian model, where only girls can score goals. Espérance reports
that initial resistance toward girls and women participating in sports has been overcome, with female attendance (including mothers and
grandmothers) at events increasing from almost none to over 50% of spectators on some occasions. The program builds the skills and selfesteem
of girls, improves boys’ perceptions of girls’ capacities, and provides women with opportunities for social interaction outside the
home and a chance to actively participate in community peace-building dialogue and activities. Espérance engages women on multiple
levels and contributes to their empowerment as essential stakeholders in the peace-building process.
The EU has a Disability Strategy to promote the integration and equal treatment of people with disabilities. In its Action Plan to implement
the Disability Strategy, the Commission considers the role sport plays in promoting the integration of people with disabilities. Special
efforts must be made to ensure access to sports venues, infrastructure and activities for people with disabilities, and to ensure that their
specific needs are taken into account, including at school.
Sport is not for only a right in itself; rather it is a cross-cutting means of achieving other fundamental rights. Sport is a huge mass
phenomenon, the most widespread phenomenon of our era. Sport is a powerful tool to push for new ways of thinking that are inclusive of
all members of society. Athletes with disabilities show society that they are still able to compete and provide high-ranking performances.
Sport is a very positive propagator of a message and it should be taken into account across the board in employment, integration, culture
and education policies. Through sport, exclusion situations have been reversed and athletes with disabilities have even come to be
regarded as local idols.
At the societal level, the role of sport in promoting social networks and active citizenship is potentially very important. Research suggests
that sport has the potential to promote community identity, coherence and integration, and that people actively involved in sport are
more likely to play an active role in the community in other ways. Sport can therefore be used as a tool for building community and social
capital. Social capital is a key element in local responses to problems of social exclusion and is generally thought to serve three important
functions — bonding, bridging, and linking. Bonding social capital refers to the informal realm, the close ties that help people to get by.
These usually involve family, friends and neighbours. Bridging social capital refers to the civic realm and involves the development of
looser ties through networks that extend across different groups in civil society and create bridges between them. Sports as a medium in
countries like India is having a positive impact from the perspective of bridging the caste class divide and discrimination as the kids and
youth play together and have fun leading to equality, love and respect for each other. Finally, linking social capital refers to the
institutional realm, building links to organizations and systems that can help people access resources and bring about broader change.
There is significant evidence and political belief that sport contributes to social inclusion. If sport is to help deliver Government objectives
on social inclusion then increased sustained financial support is required to support the national governing bodies of sport and their clubs.
Tackling social inclusion through sport can be a ‘win-win’ situation. The Government gains a valuable policy tool which appeals directly to
people who can be hard to reach using traditional methods; sport gains from increased diversity, higher participation and greater
likelihood of international success.
Case studies:
1. Operation Reclaim, a Scottish program using sport to integrate young refugees and asylum seekers and divert them from gangs
and drugs, cited the example of a 17-year-old Scot who was charged with racially aggravated assault two years previously.
Following involvement in organized sport, the young Scot became friendly with the asylum seekers and refugees with whom he
now played football. His attitude to asylum seekers and refugees changed because he had come to know them personally.
2. The Complexo de Maré neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro offers a compelling example of this approach. The neighbourhood is
divided into territories controlled by rival gangs. Drug trafficking, related violence and other criminal activity are highly visible
and many youth believe gangs are their best option for social and economic advancement. The Luta Pela Paz (Fight for Peace)
program was established to offer youth an alternative to drugs, gangs and violence. The program’s primary activity is a boxing