This book brings together examples and cases from across the world to discuss how sport has and can further contribute to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development agenda. It discusses the major steps that international bodies have taken so far and can further take in the progressive integration of sport for sustainable development. Contributors from 21 countries take up at least one of the 17 UNO Sport for Development and Peace goals, and present and analyse examples of national, regional or local policies using sport as a lever for sustainable development. From traditional games to major competitions, from gender equality to social development and developing governmental transparency, the chapters showcase diverse experiences and demonstrate that sport is today much more than just physical activity. This book is based on the network of the International Research Network in Sport Tourism (IRNIST) with the collaboration of Sport 4 Impact. It is the first step of a collaboration between universities and the world of associations working in partnership with organizations such as the UN or the European Union. The book is an important resource not just for students and researchers of sport science but for policy makers, bureaucrats and sport administrators.

This timely book critically explores the past, present, and future trends and needs of sport tourism development from a global perspective. Sports have become a major demand generator for many countries around the world, and consequently, the growth and status of this phenomenon is a major aspect of sport tourism. The volume includes case studies from all over the world, including industrializing countries and the Global South. Sporting events and sport tourism are two fast-growing sectors of tourism, and this book provides a current view of the interconnectedness of sport and tourism from behavioral, historical, economic, management, marketing, environmental, and policy perspectives. In doing so, issues, trends, and topics such as commercial, e-sport, emotional well-being, health, and cultural aspects of sports travelers are explored in detail. This significant and insightful volume will be of pivotal interest to academics, students, and professionals in the field of sport tourism, as well as related areas, such as development studies, psychology, sociology, and geography.

This book explores the field of Sport for Development and Peace (SDP), putting Global South voices and perspectives at the centre of the analysis. Covering a wide range of thematic and methodological areas that inform existing and emerging discourses in SDP, it represents an unparalleled resource for researchers and practitioners working in this area. Arranged into geographical sections covering Africa, Asia, South America, North America and Oceania, the book presents original research in Global South countries or by Global South researchers and practitioners, sometimes in collaboration with colleagues from the Global North. It highlights practices and theories created, developed, interpreted and reinterpreted by people who belong to the communities where these sporting experiences have been taking place, and whose critical reflections and experiences have yet to gain attention in international academic and practitioner communities in the English language. The book presents the views of diverse stakeholders, programme participants, promoters, coaching staff, volunteers, researchers, teachers, lecturers and other actors that have been difficult to access for researchers who do not usually speak languages other than English. A landmark publication in the field of SDP, this book is essential reading for any advanced student, research, practitioner or policy-maker with an interest in the value of sport in international development.

This book looks at the potential of sport to contribute to wide-ranging development outcomes, which have been recognized across international policy declarations, most significantly in the 2030 UN Agenda for Sustainable Development. It provides a theoretical approach to sport and development. It begins by addressing the basic concepts of sport development and sustainability and then discusses the potential contribution of sport to five prioritized SDGs (SDGs 3, 4, 5, 8 and 16) and the environment as one of the sustainable development pillars that may contribute to SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. This academic resource provides a macro view to students and researchers of sports sciences to know more about the fundamental concepts of sustainable development goals, and to enhance their knowledge about sport as a conduit that can help achieve wider development outcomes rather than being an end in itself. This book is of interest to students and researchers of sports studies, from sociology to management, and researchers and policy makers interested in sport and sustainable development.

Extending the horizon of regional sport scholarship beyond the Global North, this volume offers an exciting opportunity for sociology of sport scholars to widen the scope of their research in search of fuller understandings of the forms, meanings, dynamics and impacts of sport for Pacific peoples.

Enhancing the Contribution of Sport to the Sustainable Development Goals builds on the work of previous Commonwealth publications analysing the role of sport in achieving sustainable development. Aimed at governmental policy-makers and other stakeholders, it provides evidenced and balanced policy options supporting the effective contribution of sport towards six prioritised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sport has the potential to be a powerful platform for positive change. This is the first textbook to introduce the fundamentals of sport and sustainable development, examining how sport can be made more sustainable in terms of its social and environmental impact, and how sport can achieve more comprehensive social and ecological objectives. Introducing key theory, and looking at how sustainability has been embedded in real-world organizations, projects, and developments, the book draws on a range of multidisciplinary perspectives including sport business and management, development studies, environmental studies, sociology, psychology, and political science. Every chapter includes international viewpoints from the voices of professionals who have been successful in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in and through their work. As pressure grows on sport, business, and wider society to put sustainability and social and environmental responsibility at the center of their operations, the themes and topics examined in this book become ever more important. This is essential reading for any course on sport and sustainable development, and important background reading for any course in sport management, sport development, event studies, environment and society, business and the environment, or social responsibility.

While the relationship between sport and religion is deeply rooted in history, it continues to play a profound role in shaping modern-day societies. This edited collection provides an inter-disciplinary exploration of this relationship from a global perspective, making a major contribution to the religious, social scientific and theological study of sport. It discusses the dialectical interplay between sport and Christianity across diverse cultures, extending beyond a Western perspective to include studies from Africa, South America and Asia, as well as Europe, the UK and the US. Containing contributions from leading experts within the field, it reflects on key topics including race, gender, spirituality, morality, interfaith sport clubs, and the significance of sport in public rituals of celebration and mourning. Its chapters also examine violent sports such as boxing and mixed martial arts, as well as reflecting on the cult of sporting celebrity and the theology of disability sport. Truly international in scope, Global Perspectives on Sports and Christianity is fascinating reading for all those interested in the study of sport, sociology and religion.

With sport sustaining a prominent place in international development policymaking, discourse and delivery, this comprehensive Handbook provides a contemporary, multi-disciplinary overview of state-of-the-art scholarship in this critical space. It investigates the role that different sport initiatives – from community-focused projects to large-scale events – can play across a great variety of development contexts.