SPORT 1913 - 2013

part one_CHAPTER 4

conflicts (Heidelberg Institute for Interna- tional Conflict Research 2009, 22). Those violent conflicts continue to per- sist in Africa and globally despite efforts by the United Nations and the international community, civil society organisations, indi- vidual states and many other stakeholders. Due to this global situation of unrest and violent conflicts, millions of lives have been lost and affected, and armed conflicts have stagnated the economic, social and cultural development of the African continent so that the majority of African populations remain af- flicted by appalling levels of underdevelop- ment and poverty (Wunsch 2000, 489). As part of endeavours to bring peace to the African continent and beyond, there has been growing interest in the role that sport can play as a tool for dealing with conflict and diversity issues. The Role of Sport On an individual level, sports and games are supposed to be fundamental rights for all which are, however, often ignored or disre- spected (UNESCO 1978). On a communal level sport is not only a physical activity, but also an area where peo- ple interact socially. Jarvie and Maguire main- tain that sports and leisure activities form an integral part of social life in all communities and are intricately linked to society and poli- tics (ibid 1994, 2). Popular culture attaches numerous posi- tive values to sport: Sport does not only im- prove health, fitness and education, it creates

business opportunities and employment. In terms of conflict transformation it has the ability to bring people from diverse back- grounds together, it is able to bridge cultural and ethnic divides, it fosters non-violence, fair competition, teamwork and respect and contributes to cross cultural dialogue and un- derstanding, unity, tolerance and peaceful co- existence – that is, if sport programmes are properly designed, implemented, managed, monitored and evaluated. In addition, as re- search has articulated, there are corresponding factors to be considered and conditions that must be met if the positive values of sport as mentioned are to be enjoyed (Keim 2006, 99). These factors include multi-cultural sports teams fromprimary school, the role of women, the role of the media, proper policy framework and policy implementation on local and na- tional level, monitoring and evaluation and multi-stakeholder collaboration and coordina- tion to mention just a few. More recently sport has been identified by many stakeholders as a vehicle which can contribute to global issues relating to conflict, diversity, reconciliation and peace building. In 2000, the largest number of world leaders adopted the United Nations’ Millen- nium Declaration at the UN gathering in New York. The Declaration spelled out common aims to reduce extreme poverty and set out a series of targets to be reached by 2015. These aims have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Endorsed by all 189 nations present the MDGs have shown

the world a commitment to a new global part- nership. The role of sport has been highlight- ed with regards to all eight of the MDGs: “Sport is a universal language. At its best, it can bring people together, no matter what their origin, background, religious beliefs or economic status. And when young people par- ticipate in sports or have access to physical education, they can experience real exhilara- tion even as they learn the ideals of teamwork and tolerance. That is why the United Nations is turning more and more to the world of sport for help in our work for peace and our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.” (Annan 2004). Since the call for the implementation of the MDGs and the creation of a “United Na- tions Task Force” on Sport for Development and Peace in 2002, quite a number of interna- tional initiatives were launched to try and ad- dress the call and work towards a more peace- ful society. One such initiative was the International Seminar on “Preventing Con- flicts, Maintaining Peace: The Role of Sport” which took place in March 2005 in Mantova, Italy, and was organized by the International Military Sports Council, CISM (Conseil Inter- national du Sport Militaire) which consists of armed forces of 127 member countries. In December 2005 the Magglingen Con- ference marked the culmination and conclu- sion of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education with 400 participants from 70 nations and all sectors of society calling upon sport organisations, governments, multi-

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