Topic: Using Global Sport as an Engine for Development
Country: Rwanda
Delegate Name: Claire Benedict
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Rwanda position papers GLIMUN 2016 committees
Investing in international sports and using sport as a development strategy will initiate and produce a center of global problem solving by bringing together many countries in a common objective. Global sport positively brings nations together, encourages cultural exchange, promotes the improvement and investment in infrastructure, and stimulates economic activity. The Olympics and the World Cup are both examples of this international sport. There are positive effects of hosting these events including massive infrastructure investments and financial inflows but it also creates financial stress when the projects go over-budget or are in strict time-constraints. Since 1960, the average budget overrun in the Olympics is 156% in real terms. Concerns arise when a country is not structurally secure and these large infrastructural investments become burdens that offset the short term benefits. These high profile events can also act as a platform for political unrest and controversies. The Olympics have been meet with several boycotts and recently, in 2015, the World Cup organization, FIFA, was rocked with a high profile corruption case. There is also the prevalence of doping in all global sport competitions.
Though these challenges are prevalent, the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) is using these large events as a tool to for fundraising, advocacy, mobilization and raising public awareness and the promotion of peace. This goal also connects with the larger “Sustainable Development Goals” presented by the United Nations including fostering international partnerships, building infrastructure, and promoting economic growth. Rwanda believes high calibre international sport could benefit our country but presently we require solid organizational structures supported by financial and human resources.
There are approximately 28 national sports federations in Rwanda with the main sports being football (soccer), volleyball, basketball, cycling, and paralympic athletics. Rwanda has also competed in the Summer Olympics since 1984 and the Commonwealth Games since 2010. Most or all are seriously federations are hampered in their ability to excel internationally due to funding constraints, lack of capacity (there are three stadiums with the largest having a capacity of 30,000), and severe lack of facilities to support any significant mark as a sporting nation internationally. That being said, Rwanda is on the cusp of being recognized in the international sporting community but has not produced considerable competition or results. Rwanda is interested in exploring the potential of sport to reach personal, community, and national development objectives. In Rwanda, 60.4% of the population is under the age of 24. Our country has a large, untapped talent pool that has significant potential to develop national assets in terms of sport for men and women. In the Rwandan Ministry of Youth, Culture, and Sports: National Youth Policy 2005, a survey indicated that around 50% of boys and 80% of girls have never participated sport. In the 2012 Rwandan Sports Development Policy, a target presented is that by 2020, there will be a higher percentage of population playing sport than in any other African nation. If we can encourage a grassroots movement to increase youth participation in sport it will increase the whole sporting sector. A larger amount of youth participating in sports will lead to larger generations of potential athletes. Because of this, Rwanda can eventually produce high-level sporting federations. Teams, stadiums, and events are commonly promoted as economic catalysts.
Along with the low amount of participation, other challenges we must address are the: limited management and technical capacity of sports bodies, limited number of sports infrastructures, and the limited financial capacity to carry out sports activities. We must proactively represent Rwanda as a national and international body seeking cooperation, assistance, and support and promote sport as an option to the youth of Rwanda. Rwanda believes that when in the right hands and used responsibly (with no violations of human rights), global sport can generate economically sustainable development.
