Topic: 2025-Safeguarding and Promoting Traditional Sports and Games
Country: Denmark
Delegate Name: Chloe Lee
The country of Denmark has valued traditional sports and games for over centuries, as we believe that it is a reflection of our country’s cultures and traditions. Games such as Laenkfage (capturing chains), Spark til Dassen (kick the can), and Mus (Mouse) have been universally enjoyed by many of our people and are intertwined with our cultural heritage. However, with the globalization of modern sports and games rapidly increasing over the years, many of the traditional sports and games of Denmark have been left in obscurity, as modern games are prioritized in competitions such as the Olympics over traditional games that reflect on the culture of several countries, not just Denmark. The motion to safeguard and promote traditional sports and games is urgent and necessary for protecting our tradition and cultural values.
Denmark has several policies and organizations regarding the topic of sports. This includes our two major sports organizations such as the Sports Confederation of Denmark and the DGI, which are currently working on a project to help Denmark become a major country in sports, with 75% of Danes participating in sports and 50% doing sports in clubs organizations. Denmark has also implemented policies such as the Danish Sports Policy Aims, which focuses upon sports integrity, sports in education, sports used for welfare, and so forth. However, these policies and organizations are centered around modern sports and games, pushing back traditional sports and games to an area of disinterest and neglect. Because of these issues, the country of Denmark has struggled to promote traditional games in recent years, an issue that must be fixed immediately.
Traditional sports and games are an important aspect of not just Denmark’s culture, but culture from different countries. These traditional activities are a massive contributor to what makes us unique and highlight the meaning of our cultures. In order to safeguard and promote traditional sports and games, measures must be taken in order to normalize traditional sports and games. Denmark advocates for a policy to require teaching traditional sports and games in sports education in order to bring back public interest within these cultural activities. With the teachings of traditional sports and games in schools, these activities will soon be normalized and beloved once more, protecting our culture and traditions under the threat of globalization.
