To: Heritage Canada, Canadian House of Commons
Get the International Day for Sport for Development and Peace as a recognized day in Canada
The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution (A/RES/67/296) establishing the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace in August of 2013.
The current Canadian Sport Policy, effective from 2012 to 2022, sets a direction for all governments, institutions and organizations to make sure sport has a positive impact on the lives of Canadians, our communities and our country.
One of it's policy goals and objectives is Sport for Development. However, given the lack of visibility on this topic, sport for development is highly undervalued in the current sport system.
During the consultations during the development phase of the updated Canadian Sport Policy (yet to be released by the federal government), 67.5% of respondents advocated for an integrated approach to sport for development
as the values it promotes are shared across contexts and cannot be separated. Respondents
believe that integration leads to better athlete development as it provides a more natural and
flexible progression through sport, consistency across the sector, and promotes healthy values
and sustainability.
Why is this important?
Given the need to raise more awareness of the importance of sport for development and how it interacts with Canada's sporting goals, it is essential that we raise this topic more and more.
By instituting this day as an officially observed day in Canada, we can help push the needle towards a more purposeful sport system. One that values sustainability, social progress, community involvement over medals and performance.