By Adolf Ogi, UN Under-Secretary-General
and Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace

What does your role consist of as Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace?
I was named in 2001 by Kofi Annan to advance sport as an effective way to promote health, education, development and peace in the world. My mandate covers three principle functions. That of representative of the United Nations and above all, its Secretary-General namely at large sports events and international conferences. Next, that of a promoter of the cause that I represent, as much within the UN as outside it. Finally, I play the role of convenor between key actors in sport for development and peace, such as sports organisations, UN agencies, athletes, bilateral development agencies, governments, the armed forces, inter-governmental organisations, the sports industry and the private sector, research institutes, the media…

What are the programmes that you put in place?
Careful, we do not directly implement projects on the ground. Our role is to encourage the actors that I just mentioned to envisage sport as a tool for peace and effective development and as a bearer of hope. We encourage them to incorporate sport in the programmes that they carry out. In November 2003 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that recognised the virtues and positive values of sport, and proclaimed 2005 as the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. Thousands of initiatives were launched on the five continents involving individuals from all sectors on society. Last November, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a three-year Plan of Action for sport in the service of development and peace. All this confirms the growing importance that sport has on the international development agenda. But it has to go even further. The potential is enormous.

Examples of success?
During my mandate, I had the opportunity to visit a lot of disadvantaged countries, cities, villages and neighbourhoods. I saw refugees, former soldiers, orphans and also persons living with disabilities regain hope thanks to sport. Recently I was in Liberia to launch the programme “Sport for Peace”, in collaboration with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the Liberian government. The programme lasted five weeks and contributed to the process of reconciliation underway in the country, which has been ravaged by 14 years of civil war. In 2005 I was in Brazil and Colombia, two countries that are very active in including sport in their policies of local development. With the special programme “Segundo Tempo” (Second Half-time), the Brazilian government of President Lula is attracting young people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to sports grounds in order to avoid them becoming the prey of gangs or prostitution networks. In addition to afternoon sports activities, the girls and boys in the programme receive schooling in the morning and are given lunch at noon. They are even followed by nutritionists and doctors. In Colombia, as in Brazil, sport is used to attract young girls and boys from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to more healthy and constructive activities. These activities allow them to take a first step towards a more formal education as well as a better, supervised diet. I could continue like this for a long time as the list of successes is long. Sport does not resolve everything, that’s certain, but it’s a very effective instrument for creating a better world.

What is the real impact of these programmes on populations?
Sport is a tool that possesses enormous potential. It can be used in all kinds of contexts, by very different parties, for a multitude of ends. Its power resides then in its adaptability and versatility. It can be used in programmes that support development as much as peace, education or health. It allows, for example, to fight against cases of racism, discrimination and marginalisation, but also to help persons living with disabilities, to reconcile populations in conflict, to participate in the education of children who are without guidance, to improve the condition of women in certain countries, to prevent illness…
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), for example, uses sport to improve the quality of life of refugees in camps. Sport is an excellent way to offer a minimum of normality to those who have left everything behind, lost everything, including their families. All this reinforces my conviction that if the value of sport as a means of development and promoting peace is better known, we will obtain a world that is more equal and peaceloving. Sport is a universal language that unites peoples and breaks down barriers, whether they are ethnic, religious, psychological, or social.

How are sporting values perceived today? Can we still reference them?
During my numerous missions overseas, I could observe that our world is sick. Wars,
poverty, disease, discrimination, and inequalities cause suffering among too many populations and destroy too many hopes. In this context, sport can help to improve things. It teaches us fundamental values like tolerance, respect, sharing, perseverance and self-control. Values essential not only for personal development but also for living in society. For me, as I often say, sport is the best school of life !

Is sport still a model for young people, given that financial scandals, doping accusations, political problems and stadium incidents would seem to erase the principal values it must drive home?
I’m very aware of these occurrences and I deplore them. But don’t forget, sport is but a mirror of society. Doping, violence, racism and financial scandals are the sad other side of the coin. We must not let these evils tarnish the image of sport while it can do so much to improve our world. This only reinforces my determination. I want to promote the good aspects of sport at the expense of the bad.

Can we still speak of sport other than as a means of quickly winning (a lot of) money?
Of course ! Athletes who earn a lot of money are just a minority. Remember that there are millions, if not billions of practitioners on the planet. Certainly, the richest players are the ones most often in the media. We observe a “starification” of sport at its highest level, with athletes who sometimes receive phenomenal salaries. In the course of my mandate, I work to transform that image so that society realises the virtues of sport for all. In those places where it is still considered a luxury, sport must
become accessible to a greater number.

Can certain “heroic” journeys, such as those of Roger Federer and Stéphane Lambiel, be taken as an example? Do they have a role to play in society?
In fact, athletes at the highest level can have a particularly positive impact. Sporting success constitutes a veritable social elevator. Moreover, professional players often come from modest backgrounds. Providing a positive image of sport can give young people, in particular, the desire to take part, offering a way out of the daily violence that pervades in certain neighbourhoods. Professional athletes can have a powerful influence : they are role models and a great number of them dedicate a part of their time to humanitarian activities. Whether they are UNESCO Champions for Sport is but a mirror of society. Doping, violence, racism and financial scandals are the sad other side of the coin. I want to promote the good aspects of sport at the expense of the bad.Sport, Goodwill Ambassadors, or UN Messengers of Peace, they all have the desire to put their fame at the service of the disadvantaged.

Criticisms frequently focus on the lack of involvement by officials, and an absence of real policies regarding financial support. Stéphane Lambiel’s success is above all a case of support from the community and patrons. Are efforts necessary in that sense?
Governments and sports federations are already at work in that sense. But efforts have to follow. My slogan remains the same – sport for everyone ! Recognising the virtues and benefits of sport is one thing. Turning it into action is another. Hence the importance of my work and the work of those who, like me, fight to democratise the practice of sport. We are confronting an incoherence concerning the importance of sport: on the one side, we agree to state that sport can play an important role in resolving social problems such as obesity, discrimination, marginalisation and inequalities, while on the other side, budgets allocated to sport are reduced, even entirely eliminated. This paradox is translated as a growing recognition of the value of physical education for health and social integration, accompanied by a marginalisation of sport in the educational system of numerous countries. Sports organisations must be encouraged to promote professionalism in physical education and to help countries to increase participation in sport.

The federal research plan “Sport and Movement 2004 –2007” clears the way for the five areas of scientific research supported by the Swiss Confederation (health, education, performance, economy and sustainable development). It’s the first time that sport is recognised to this extent and benefits from a mandate. What do you think?
It confirms what I said earlier. Sport as an instrument of development is benefiting from growing visibility and recognition. It’s positive. Our cause advances.

Does Switzerland have a role to play, an image to care for at the international level concerning research in this domain?
Switzerland in fact enjoys significant financial means and a positive image on the international scene. It benefits notably from the presence of numerous international organisations – inter- and non-governmental organisations, sports federations – as well as competitive research institutes. Switzerland should strive to bring her expertise to the table by fostering research on the social, economic, physical and educational virtues of sport.

Should we take as an example the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses in Lausanne (LAD), which is involved in research and the worldwide fight against doping?
Their action goes in the right direction. LAD is the leading figure in an anti-doping movement that is growing in magnitude. Its actions contribute to cleaning up the image of sport at the highest level. But once again, my mission is not there. Sport has to affirm itself as a tool for peace and development that is within everyone’s reach. That is the idea that I stand up for and in which I believe.