Calacus White Paper – The Power of Sport for Good 2024
Organisations around the world are well aware of the power of sport to make a difference to society.
As Nelson Mandela put it at the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco:
"Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.
"It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination."
People young and old can learn new skills, grow in confidence and understanding, transform communities through inclusion and turn conflict into understanding through the medium of sport.
The International Olympic Committee and the United Nations have been at the forefront of sporting initiatives to act as a catalyst for sustainable urban growth.
The Sport for Sustainable Urban Development Initiative is part of the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy – which uses sport to promote sustainable development – and involves engagement with UN-Habitat’s extensive networks of city leaders and officials.
In July 2024, the IOC and UN-Habitat signed a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU). This collaboration focuses on using sport to drive progress in three key areas:
Health: promoting active lifestyles and physical well-being in urban communities.
Social inclusion: building more equitable, inclusive societies through the unifying power of sport.
Urban regeneration: revitalising city spaces to be greener, safer and more sustainable.
Whether it is providing education for refugees or disadvantaged children on a local level or providing ways to grow, sport for good works.
In the ‘Contribution of sport to society and the economy’ report published by the UK’s House of Lords in 2024, sporting benefits can help build stronger communities by bringing people together.
“Sport is widely seen as a way for people of different backgrounds to interact and integrate by taking part, volunteering and spectating. It can provide opportunities….to bridge divides between men and women, homeless people and those who are not homeless, and people with different employment backgrounds.”
There is also evidence that sport can help to reduce crime according to a College of Policing evaluation of sports-based interventions, which generated significant economic impacts such as savings for the public purse and lifetime education and employment impacts.
Research undertaken by Manchester Metropolitan University found a positive association between sport participation in school and higher levels of wellbeing for young people, providing a “significant predictor of self-belief and mental toughness, key life skills for young people.”
The following case studies celebrate organisations that have invested time and resources in making a difference to society through sport.
While there are commercial and reputational benefits in doing so, there is no doubt that sport has the opportunity to make meaningful change to society.