@1tm122n22m Atma Unum

Celebrating sports fosters unity and peace! 🌍🤝 Let’s inspire positive change and inclusion through athletic activities and teamwork! 🏅💪 #SportForPeace #UnityInDiversity #CelebrateSports https://wp.me/p3JLEZ-8od

The International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is an annual celebration of the power of sport to drive social change, community development and to foster peace and understanding. Each 6 April, the aim is to raise awareness among the world’s population about the fundamental role of sport in promoting human rights and the economic and social development of countries. Let’s take this opportunity to reflect on the importance of sport in our lives!

IDSDP Celebration

Importantly, sport transcends boundaries and promotes tolerance, perseverance, and respect within and between cultures … to promote just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.”

President of the 78th session of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, Remarks at the commemoration of World Football Day, 22 May 2024

The celebration was created by the United Nations General Assembly in 23 August 2013, supported by the International Olympic Committee since 6 April 2014. This date commemorates the inauguration, in 1896, of the first Olympic games of the modern era, in Athens, (Greece).

On 23 August 2013, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 67/296 decides to proclaim on 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and the Peace. The United Nations, with this commemoration, “invites States, the United Nations system and in particular the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace, relevant international organizations, and international, regional and national sports organizations, civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, and all other relevant stakeholders to cooperate, observe and raise awareness of the “International Day of Sport for Development and Peace”.

Sport is an important element in creating an environment where tolerance, solidarity, cooperation, inclusion, and health prevail, as its practice fosters values such as teamwork, respect for opponents, compliance with rules, justice, and coexistence.

How is International Sports Day celebrated?

Various activities are carried out to celebrate this global anniversary, including:

• Symposia, workshops, and talks related to sports and health.
• Races, marathons and team sports games.
• Sports events such as soccer, baseball, canoeing, karate, judo, and gymnastics, among others.
• Community fairs with sports, cultural and recreational activities.
• Campaigns to promote physical activity.

To celebrate International Day of Sport, there’s no better way to participate than by engaging in some physical activity, preferably outdoors, to minimize COVID-19 infections. Whether individually or collectively, long as it’s done safely and follows the recommendations of health authorities.

What is the 2025 theme of the celebration?

In the run-up to the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025, the IDSDP 2025 will focus on the theme of “Social Inclusion,” with particular attention to the most marginalized groups, as well as to age, gender, and race. This year’s theme seeks to challenge stereotypes, promote equal opportunities, and facilitate inclusive sport for all, regardless of age, gender, or race. It highlights the role of sport as a unifying force that fosters inclusion and more equitable societies, while also providing a powerful platform for dialogue to combat prejudice and inspire positive change around the world.

To commemorate the International Day, an event will be held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of the Principality of Monaco, the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the Department of Global Communications, and UN Women. The event will provide an opportunity for enriching discussions on interrelated topics such as sport, gender equality, healthy aging, and racial equality. Through inspiring conversations, the IDSDP seeks to raise awareness, celebrate success stories, strengthen partnerships, and promote solutions to critical challenges. IDSDP 2025 will serve as a platform to explore solutions on how sport can contribute to greater social inclusion and progress.

The aim is to highlight the contribution of sport to achieving the development and peace goals set out in the United Nations Declaration of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The United Nations knows that sport has the power to unite individuals and groups and uses it to achieve peace and development. Although it may seem unrelated, sport has truly demonstrated that it can move mountains to achieve important goals such as the empowerment of women, youth, and people with disabilities. And of course, it also has much to say and demonstrate in achieving the goals of health, education, sustainability, and peace.

Advancing sustainable development through sport

In 2025, in line with the theme “Levelling the Playing Field: Sport for Social Inclusion”, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is demonstrating how sport contributes to advancing the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), thereby building more equal and inclusive societies. To strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler of the SDGs, the IOC launched the Olympism365 strategy.

Through the Olympism365 strategy, the IOC is collaborating with organisations from within and outside the Olympic Movement to support 550 social impact programmes and initiatives in 176 countries. Through this collective action, the IOC is reaching tens of millions of people, improving their health and well-being, increasing access to education, and creating more inclusive and peaceful societies through sport, 365 days a year.

The impact of these initiatives will take centre stage at the Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World, which will take place from 3 to 5 June in Lausanne, Switzerland.

During this event, organised by the IOC, representatives from the Olympic Movement, UN agencies, development and financing institutions, civil society and for-purpose business will share best practices, showcase the collective impact of policy work and explore new co-investment opportunities.

Relevant slogans from previous years

2024: “Sport for Promoting Peaceful and Inclusive Societies.” As the world faces a multitude of challenges, the transformative power of sport for social change can have a real and lasting impact on people’s lives.

2023: ” Scoring for People and Planet .” The goal was to highlight the positive impact of football on promoting human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals.

2022: “Ensuring a sustainable and peaceful future for all: the contribution of sport.” This recognizes the influence of sports and physical activity on individuals and communities, promoting sustainable development and peace, as well as values such as solidarity and respect for all.

Global Corruption in Sports

The first-ever UNODC Global Report on Corruption in Sport (2021) seeks to inform States parties and sports organizations on the different forms of corruption in sport, through an analysis of trends and case studies. Global Report on Corruption in Sport. It was published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC.

The role of organized crime groups in corruption in sport and the criminal infiltration of sports organizations has grown markedly as a result of the evolutions in sport. Criminal groups are exploiting vulnerabilities linked to development- related changes and the weaknesses of legislative and regulatory frameworks that govern sport. The involvement of organized crime in sport is widespread and takes place on a global scale. It is linked to competition manipulation, corruption in sports organizations, illegal betting, money-laundering, human trafficking and migrant smuggling in sport and other corruption in sport.

Several high-profile scandals in relation to alleged corrupt processes in the awarding of hosting rights for major sport events, and relating to flawed internal governance policies within sports organizations, have shaken public confidence in the ethical standards of these organizations and in the integrity of the major events that they oversee.

Corruption in sport poses a range of gender-specific threats to girls and women, most notably in the form of sexual harassment and abuse by those in positions of authority. A growing number of cases are being reported or uncovered, and brought to the attention of authorities and the public. Inequality in pay leaves women in sport vulnerable to corruption on various levels, including in connection with betting-related competition manipulation. A lack of representation of women in sport governance roles plays a part in hampering the fight against corruption in sport.

First Olympic Games in History

The first Olympic Games were held between April 6 and 15, 1896, in the city of Athens, Greece, under the name of the Games of the I Olympiad.

Although there is contradiction between sources regarding the number of participating countries, the International Olympic Committee recognizes the participation of 14 countries. The opening ceremony was a grand event. Gathered in the Panathenaic Stadium before 60,000 spectators, with the athletes on the field and King George I of Greece, his wife, and children in attendance, the Games were declared open.

150 choirs and nine bands had the honor of performing the Olympic Anthem, which became the official anthem in 1958. Among the sports included were athletics, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, tennis, and shooting.

Filmography on sport

You also can celebrate by enjoying the following films with your family. These are related to the values of sports, as well as stories of athletes’ achievements.

• The Way Back (USA. Director: Gavin O’Connor. Year 2020): A former basketball player had retired due to his alcohol problems. He tries to improve himself by coaching the high school team where he used to play.
• Champions (Spain. Director: Javier Fesser. Year 2018): a film that reflects the story of overcoming difficulties of a team of people with disabilities, showing their skills on the sports field with a touch of humor.
• Pelé: Birth of a Legend (USA. Director: Michael Zimbalist . Year 2016): biographical film of the Brazilian soccer player “Pelé” that shows his career, becoming a legend of the sport.
• Eddie the Eagle (USA. Director: Dexter Fletcher. Year 2016): a story of overcoming that describes the life of the first British representative of Olympic ski jumping, who dreamed of becoming an Olympic athlete in the Winter Games since he was a child.
• 42: Jackie Robinson (USA. Director: Brian Helgeland . Year 2013): plot that reflects the story of the first African-American player to play in Major League Baseball in 1947, overcoming the prejudices, stereotypes and racial segregation that characterized that time.
• Money Ball (USA, directed by Bennett Miller, 2011): The general manager of the Oakland Athletics baseball team decides to revitalize the team. To do so, he uses statistics to sign the most promising players. Based on true events.
• Invictus (USA. Director: Clint Eastwood. Year 2009): a feature film that reflects how the celebration of the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995 became a significant and historical event, thanks to the end of Apartheid.
• Coach Carter (USA. Director: Thomas Carter. Year 2005): a film based on real events that reflects the importance of training young people in sports. It shows how the Richmond Oilers high school basketball players went from being delinquents to playing in the playoffs . high school offs .
• Million Dollar Baby (USA. Director: Clint Eastwood. Year 2004): a young woman trains hard to get into boxing, overcoming stereotypes and her own emotional barriers.
• Bend It Like Beckham (United Kingdom. Director: Gurinder) Chadha (2002): A young woman of Indian origin from a conventional family dreams of playing football like her idol David Beckham. She is invited to join a women’s football team, fulfilling her dream.
• Titans Made History (USA. Director: Boaz Yakin (Year 2000): In 1971, the process of racial integration led to the creation of a school for whites and blacks, with rugby as its flagship sport. An African-American coach is tasked with turning a group of misfit youngsters into brilliant players.

References:

• Crosson , Seán (2013). Sport and Film. Abingdon, Oxon : Routledge. ISBN 9780415569934.
• United Nations . United Nations. Peace, dignity, and equality on a healthy planet. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
• Global Report on Corruption in Sport. (2021) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC.

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