Progress and Challenges in “Sport for Development and Peace”

Abstract

The concept of Sport for Development Peace(SDP) was developed in the late 20th century. In Japan, the discussion about SDP and the contribution of sports to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) began along with the bidding for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Additionally, sport as a tool has been expected widely, which are also regarded as one of the important components of the Olympic legacy.

However, in the development sector, consideration about the connection/integration of development and sport has not been enough. Although the development sector has fruitful experience and logic at both the policy and practical levels, they are not reflected enough in the SDP, and sport has just been introduced without any discussion on the disadvantage of sport as a tool. Although SDP was promoted with the positive image of sports in terms of health, cost-effectiveness, and equal competition, and because it is thriving internationally, I am concerned that it will rapidly recede in the aftermath of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

In order to avoid such a situation, it is necessary to take this opportunity, one year after the ending of the Tokyo 2020 Games, to reexamine the relationship between sports and development/peace. In order to bring SDP into focus in the development sector, the purpose of this study is to summarize the international trends surrounding SDP in recent years, and to identify some key points for the future discussion.