World Urban Forum 13 -WUF13- is being held this week in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 17 to 22 May 2026, with housing, urban safety and community resilience as the main pillars of its agenda. Within that framework, the forum convened by UN-Habitat has also brought sport into the global debate on the future of cities through the session “Cities as playing fields”, held on Wednesday and focused on the role of sport, play and physical activity in building healthier, more inclusive and more resilient urban environments.
The presence of sport at the World Urban Forum does not follow the traditional logic of major events, stadiums or professional competition, but a broader reading: sport as part of the everyday infrastructure of the city. The approach connects urban planning with public health, the use of public space, community cohesion, social inclusion and the financing of accessible facilities in neighbourhoods and communities.
Sport as a tool for urban planning
The relevance of the World Urban Forum for sport lies in the actors it brings together. Governments, cities, financial institutions, urban planners, international agencies, civil society and the private sector take part in a space where housing, mobility, public space, urban financing and climate resilience are discussed. For the sports sector, entering that forum means being present in the conversations where decisions are made on which services should be part of a sustainable city and how they can be financed.
That shift affects sport at several levels. First, it connects it with city-level public policy, not only with federative structures or sports budgets. Second, it requires federations, clubs and organisers to better measure their social, environmental and economic impact. And third, it opens a path for local sports facilities, physical activity programmes and youth participation projects to be linked to urban strategies, development funds and inclusion plans.
UN-Habitat and the IOC raise the role of sport
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach argued during the session that sport, play and recreation should be understood as integral elements of urban infrastructure, directly linked to inclusion, health, safety and community well-being. Rossbach said that “the planning, financing and governance of cities determine not only where people live, but also how they move, communicate, play and integrate into society”, and stressed the need for cooperation between governments, urban planning specialists, sports organisations and financial institutions to incorporate sport into the development of cities.
The International Olympic Committee -IOC- reinforced that line through Laura Chinchilla, an IOC member and the organisation’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations. In a video message, Chinchilla called for greater collaboration to make cities healthier, more inclusive and more resilient through sport, which she described as a “proven, low-cost, high-impact tool” to accelerate social, economic and environmental progress. “When embedded into urban policy and planning, sport supports health and well-being for all, enables safe and inclusive access to public spaces, and aids community cohesion,” she added.
The IOC frames this position within its Olympism365 strategy and the Sport for Sustainable Urban Development initiative, developed with UN-Habitat. The programme seeks to integrate sports metrics into urban policies, promote campaigns on the benefits of physical activity, build the capacity of municipal officials and sports organisations, and provide seed funding for urban sports infrastructure and inclusive programmes, with the possibility of further support through development financing. The initiative is currently being implemented in Ghor Al-Safi, in Jordan; São Gonçalo, in Brazil; Cairo, in Egypt; and Accra, in Ghana.
Sports presence in Baku
The sports presence at WUF13 includes the IOC, through Chinchilla, and Azerbaijan’s Olympic sphere, with the participation of Anar Bagirov, Director of International Relations of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, in the session “Cities as playing fields”. The official programme brought together urban leaders, financial institutions, sports organisations and community actors to address how sport can be incorporated into urban planning and the localisation of the Sustainable Development Goals -SDGs-.
Football has also had a presence at the Baku edition. The Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan -AFFA- took part before the forum in a session on sustainability in the organisation of sports events, alongside the Professional Football League -PFL-, the Football Development Fund -FDF- and clubs from the Misli Premier League and the First Division. During WUF13, AFFA installed a temporary football pitch next to Deniz Mall to highlight the role of sport in urban planning under the concept “Cities as playing fields”, while Baku keeps the forum’s programme active until 22 May.
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