Topic: Using Global Sport as an Engine for Development
Country: Australia
Delegate Name: Elle Knott
School: Grand Rapids City High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Australia position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Globally, sports are used to grow economic activity and expand international relations. Sporting events provide governments with reasons to improve and build infrastructure and unite individuals for a common goal.
The national following of sports in Australia is very apparent. We turn out in thousands to Melbourne’s MCG to watch the iconic Boxing Day test. Summer is the season to play backyard and beach cricket. Also, many in our country closely follow our Grand Slam tennis tournament. Many premier golf events are hosted around the country on our championship-designed golf courses. Hundreds of thousands of runners allude to our marathons and car racing events. A popular car racing event includes the formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. Our uncrowded and pristine coastal beaches are always waiting to be surfed upon.
We are huge followers of “footy” sports, which include, the rugby union and the Australian NFL. AFL is the most attended sports league in Australia, games are played around the country in March, culminating in September where the final series are located in Melbourne. The AFL grand final is an economic powerhouse. More than 153,000 football volunteers contributed about 2 million working hours, worth the equivalent of $232 million in labor effort. AFl employs (not counting players) around 12,000 people. Also, construction workers are employed to create stadiums. This contributes more than $4 million to the Australian economy. The Gold Coast Suns and the Greater Western Sydney Giants had a profound impact on local and national economies. The AFL also provides one of the most visible national platforms for companies looking to invest in our country.
Using sports as a tool for development is in both the short and long term by generating many jobs. It is clear that the economic activity generated by the various sports is very diverse. The economic footprints of our sports are very vast and allow communities to create deep connections.
