The first-ever Olympism365 Summit will open this Tuesday in Lausanne. It will run until Thursday, June 5, and will bring together more than 250 people from the world of sport and beyond to discuss how sport can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations. The IOC promises that this summit will result in: “concrete commitments and actions” in this sense. Hence the full title of the event, “Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World.”
Sport, “the glue that unites communities”
Hoping to capitalize on the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, held in Paris in July 2024, the IOC presents the event as a golden opportunity to highlight sports and community initiatives implemented at different scales, and therefore to share best practices. “It will provide a unique platform to strengthen collaboration, foster co-investment and launch joint actions, which will lead to new collective commitments and concrete measures to advance sustainable development through sport.”, the institution says.
The IOC has identified ten Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of its Olympism365 strategy, including good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities within/between countries, sustainable consumption and production patterns, and combating climate change. Surf therapy to advance gender equality, football tournaments aimed at promoting the well-being of refugees or basketball courts accessible to people with disabilities: projects have already been subsidized on all continents, from South Sudan to Sao Tome and Principe, via Mali, Bolivia, Jordan and Thailand.
Health, education and inclusion
This first Summit will address topics such as the role of sport in education, health and inclusion, capacity building to contribute to sports initiatives, the use of tools such as artificial intelligence, mental health, etc. Guests will represent the world of sport, United Nations agencies, development and financing institutions, members of civil society, and businesses. The list of speakers includes luminaries of the Olympic Movement such as President Thomas Bach and his successor, Kirsty Coventry, Prince Feisal, basketball legend Pau Gasol, the President of Costa Rica and IOC member Laura Chinchilla, as well as the President of the International Volleyball Federation, Fabio Azevedo.
The summit will also attract the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, the CEO of the Italian public bank Istituto per il Credito Sportivo, Antonella Baldino, and Visa's Chief Sustainability Officer, Nate Hurst. A diverse range of backgrounds will ensure the most comprehensive and relevant discussions possible. All will share their perspectives on possible solutions for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. The IOC will also present its Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Award on Thursday afternoon. “Sport has considerable social importance as the glue that binds communities together., Thomas Bach emphasized in 2021. It is our duty to ensure that governments and the entire international community continue to invest in sport and its irreplaceable values." And thus contribute to building a better world, thanks to sport.
