ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the history and emergence of the sport for development and peace (SDP) sector is offered. It illustrates some of the positive aspects of SDP activity, and also some of the cautions and limitations that deserve consideration. The chapter discusses future directions in the sociological analysis of SDP. According to the United Nations inter-agency task force, sport-for-development programmes fall into three categories depending on their development focus: social issues, health and education, and economic development, a categorization to which peace and reconciliation should be added. Sport can play a positive role in the development and conversion of different forms of social capital into economic security as underserved or marginalized individuals and communities use the participatory and community features of sport to seek and secure employment. When it comes to health and education in SDP, critical scholars have also questioned the impact and logic of the SDP approach.
