Sport, Peace and Development
Abstract
This book is the first of its kind and within its covers are a collection of thirty six cutting-edge chapters by leading practitioners and academics who raise questions and provide answers regarding the broad relationship between sport, peace and development. In their writings they highlight the remarkable, but often unacknowledged, efforts which are being undertaken across the world to support people after natural disaster, wars, extreme poverty, and illness have ravaged their lives. Together, they clarify the meanings of sport and peace-making, sport and reconciliation and sport for development. The introduction of case studies from well-known organisations already working in the sport, peace and development realm is testimony that the book is not just of an academic nature but a text which provides ideas and innovations which can be used by future researchers and aspirants in the field. The authors agree in concluding that there are aspects of the relationship between sport, peace and development which have largely gone unnoticed and tackle the difficult perspectives of stigma, marginalization, poverty, corporate social responsibility, sustainability, education, monitoring and evaluation, maintenance of quality and the influence and role of the ‘big players’ such as the International Olympic Committee and the united Nations in peace-making and development initiatives. In doing so they provide examples of good practice, strong programmes and make suggestions where the status quo needs to be addressed in order for the field to go forward. This volume will be of great interest and value to academics working in the fields of sport, peace and development and international relations, as well as to undergraduate and graduate student in these disciplines. More importantly, it will also be a crucial aid and challenge to practitioners in international governmental organisations (such as the UN and its agencies) and NGOs who work in the field of sport, peace and development across the world.