Sport for Hope Programme
Bringing sport to young athletes and local communities
The Sport for Hope Programme is a joint initiative between the IOC, its Olympic Movement stakeholders, and local governments running between 2007 and 2020 to promote sport, education, and social development in developing countries.
In establishing Sport for Hope infrastructure and programming in targeted communities, the aim has been to provide young people and local communities with positive sports and development opportunities; offer state-of-the-art training facilities to the National Federations and the athletes of the country; and spread the Olympic values of excellence, friendship, and respect.
In addition, the Sport for Hope centres also serve as platforms for social development and innovative cooperation to contribute to a better and more peaceful world through sport. Ultimately, the objective was, that the local communities in Zambia and Haiti take ownership of the Centre and adopt it as their centre for social and cultural development.
Program History and Mandate
The Sport for Hope Programme was initiated in 2007. Opened in 2010, the state-of-the-art Zambia Olympic Youth Development Centre was the first multi-sports facility built in developing countries as part of the programme. In 2010, straight after the terrible earthquake which hit Haiti, the Olympic Movement committed itself to providing aid to rebuild Haiti’s sporting infrastructure as part of the nation’s reconstruction process. It has honoured its commitment, as this project for a centre in Haiti, which combines sport, education, and health, is contributing to the rebuilding of local communities, promotes social values and gives Haiti’s citizens a glimpse of a better future after the earthquake of 12 January 2010.
The Sport for Hope programme has provided provides young people and local communities with opportunities to access sports and develop their bodies, minds, and wills in the Olympic spirit. Placing Sport for All at the heart of its approach, the Sport for Hope programme has been committed to creating access to sports and physical activities for as many people as possible at all levels.
Program components
The programme component provides:
- Regional elite athletes with modern and professional training facilities and conditions.
- The respective countries' national sports federations and the International Sports Federations with facilities to develop elite sport in their countries.
The Multisport Academy Programme component is a specialised sports programme targeting local based youth sports talent identified within the program activities offered at the Centre. Using a complete set of methods such as teaching, training, sports training, promotion of sports and competitions, this sport academy programme component is designed to fully support and help the identified talented youth and children to reach their full potential in their respective sport. A step forward to ensuring the country’s youth elite sport development, Sports for hope also provides a safe space to ignite hope and positive spirit in participants , enabling them to believe in their dreams and strive in their pursuit of excellence.
The centres reach local youngsters by proposing different sport-based sociocultural and educational programmes:
- School Programme
- Summer Camp
- Integration Programme
The Integration Programme is an integrational sport-based sociocultural and educational programme for the most underprivileged, out-of-school local children. The centres also offer opportunities for surrounding communities to leverage social and cultural development through events and activities. Beyond its sporting vocation, the Sport for Hope programme proposes a wide scope of activities and services which are integrated into the centres' programmes and offers:
- Values-based education: values of Olympism, environmental and social responsibilities
- Life skills development activities: pro-social values and behaviours to develop into fulfilled individuals and citizens, interpersonal skills, and orientation support
- Sociocultural education: artistic activities, arts & crafts, and languages
- Health education and services: general hygiene, awareness-raising, sports medicine, and health care services
- Community activities: activities and events are organised at the centres, while groups can also rent facilities to host activities
Who benefits from it?
- All ages benefit from the programme, from young people to athletes as well as the local communities, the countries, and the entire regions.
- Other beneficiaries are the Olympic Movement at large, National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, organisations, institutional partners, and local schools.
Milestones
Partners
The centres have seen generous support from the Olympic Movement, in particular the Confederation of Southern Africa National Olympic Committees (COSANOC) and the Dubai Sports Council, National Olympic Committees such as the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC), International and National Sports Federations, the governments of Zambia, Haiti and France, the UN System, international organisations such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UK Sport, the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), Merifin Capital and Samsung and Non-Governmental Organisations, which have provided land, sports equipment, gear and infrastructure as well as valuable technical expertise.
These partnerships strengthen capacity-building and social inclusion, two key elements leading the programme to its goal: providing opportunities and means for the community to take ownership of the centres.