During my 33-year career as an aid worker in several sectors, I made some notes I would like to share with the community. These notes are mostly about the thin red line between sports events and development. Here are some of them:
- The interest for sport, accentuates the gap between developed and poor countries. These interests are growing in the current globalization trend.
- Organizing an international sporting event is an opportunity to develop sport and related infrastructure in the host countries.
- Sadly, nowadays we live in an environment of profits dominating the agenda. The goodwill of poor countries to organize international competitions is not enough. They do not seem to have the economic, human, or technical means…to fight.
- In this context, underdeveloped countries are fragile and developed countries do not make it easier for them. There is an under-representation of developing countries in the sports decision-making bodies.
The observation in such a climate is that it is generally the same developed countries which are elected and benefit of the sports event.
Developed countries should facilitate international sports competitions in poor countries with the idea of human development and well-being through sport.
