International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach highlighted the crucial role of sport in sustainable development during the plenary session at the United Nations Future Summit at UN Headquarters on Sunday. ‘Please accept my warmest congratulations on the adoption of the Compact for the Future. In particular, I would like to thank you for recognising the role of sport as an important enabler – and indeed accelerator – for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),’ said Bach.
The IOC President underlined how the recent success of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is a concrete example of sport’s contribution to advancing the SDGs. ‘We are ready to continue and strengthen this contribution of sport in the framework of the Compact for the Future, because this Compact perfectly reflects our Olympic motto: Faster, higher, stronger – together,’ added Bach.
Sport is mentioned several times in the Pact for the Future. In Action 11 of the 56 actions, UN Member States declare: ‘We will protect and promote culture and sport as integral components of sustainable development’. They also recognise that both culture and sport provide individuals and communities with a strong sense of identity and foster social cohesion. Furthermore, it is noted that sport can contribute significantly to the health and well-being of individuals and communities.
SPORT AS A SOCIAL TOOL
The Pact also underlines the importance of integrating culture and sport into economic, social and environmental development policies and strategies, ensuring adequate public investment for their protection and promotion. In this way, Member States commit themselves to ensuring that sport and culture contribute to more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development.
Sport is also mentioned in the Declaration on Future Generations, included in the Compact for the Future. In this declaration, UN Member States commit to ‘invest in accessible, safe, inclusive and equitable quality education for all, including physical education and sport, and to promote lifelong learning opportunities, technical and vocational training, and digital literacy’. This approach aims to ensure that future generations acquire and transmit intergenerational knowledge and skills that improve their prospects.
The inclusion of sport in the Compact for the Future represents a further development in the close relationship between the IOC and the UN. Since 2015, when sport was officially recognised as an ‘important enabler’ of sustainable development and included in the UN’s 2030 Agenda, the IOC has worked together with the organisation to use sport as a tool for social change and a promoter of peace.
THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT AND THE BANNER OF PEACE
During his speech, Bach stressed that for the IOC, peace is the most fundamental objective of the SDGs. ‘We are very happy and proud that, despite all the geopolitical tensions, we managed to bring together athletes from the territories of the 206 National Olympic Committees and the Olympic refugee team in Paris,’ he said.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the athletes not only competed with intensity, but also lived together in an atmosphere of peace and mutual respect. ‘Before the Games, these athletes united in a powerful call for peace. During the Games, they competed fiercely, but lived together in peace under one roof in the Olympic Village, sharing meals, experiences and emotions. They respected each other, without incident or discrimination, even if their countries were at war,’ Bach said.
This example of peaceful coexistence among athletes at the Olympic Games demonstrates the power of sport to create a culture of peace. Bach concluded: ‘They showed us what our world would be like if we all lived in the Olympic spirit of peaceful coexistence. The Pact for the Future and the inclusion of sport in this document are a clear demonstration of the UN and IOC’s commitment to using sport as a tool for building a more just, inclusive and sustainable future for generations to come.
