International Development and Sport for Development:

Is Sport a Cost-effective Solution for Development?

Abstract

　During the last two decades, sport-based social intervention programs were conceptualized as potential vehicles for broad, sustainable development and other social benefits, rather than as “sport for sport’s sake.”This conceptualization assumes that there is a potential for sport to be used as a “panacea” for development goals such as social integration, peace building, and health promotion. Despite the recognition of the role of sport as a potential engine of development, there are some significant problems in any argument that considers sport a priori to be a force for human well-being. This article aims to further this debate by examining the nature of sport’s presumed contribution, particularly the new ambition of “sport for development and peace” (SDP) in the current social context. I have structured this article in the following way. First, I outline how sport has been conceptualized in relation to international development. I then briefly explain the SDP context and discuss some of the key actors involved in the field. To understand the complexity and intricacy of the challenges faced by SDP, I present a critical analysis of the implications of development through sport with respect to the increasing tension between aid agencies and local communities in the construction of racial knowledge between “The White” and “The Others.” Awareness of concerns about this form of neo-colonial repositioning has been observed in some previous research, which has highlighted the fear that SDP simply imposes the values of developed countries on those living in less developed countries. Nonetheless, there is no questioning the role of sport as a versatile tool for social development in the use of SDP as a policy model. In this social milieu, the article argues that the success of SDP should be measured by formative evaluations and that there is a strong need to identify the value and the cultural and social interpretations connected to local knowledge.