Sport is such a fundamental part of many cultures, and this is certainly true in Australia cricket,

football on the beach, the list is endless. But what if it could be more? What if sport could be used to
further international development and alleviate poverty?

I recently attended a conference entitled Tackling Global Poverty with the Olympic Spirit.

The theme for the evening, as the name might suggest, was a discussion on the ability of sport to have a
positive impact upon the alleviation of poverty around the world. With the assistance of some audience
participation, the panel was able to make an insightful contribution towards addressing the topic.

The message was that sport does indeed have the ability to affect positive change and promote
international development. Of course, it should not be seen as a silver bullet to the problem of poverty.
The power of sport to affect change is as a tool, within a broader toolkit.

One of the most important things we need to ensure when utilising sport for the promotion of
international development is that it is inclusive. Without this, sport has the undesirable potential of
perpetuating the inequalities that exist within a given society. It is imperative that we implement
sporting programs appropriately to avoid impacts such as the marginalisation of women, ethnic
minorities and people with disabilities. After all, every child has the right to play.

We should see sport as a powerful tool that can help us redress many of these inequalities. Bernt Aasen
discussed a situation in Colombia where football was able to educate young boys about gender equality.
This was done through an innovative approach where the rules of the game were altered. Not only were
football teams required to have a specified quota of girls, but it was also mandated that the first goal
scorer be a girl. This changed the dynamics of the game dramatically. No longer were the girls on the
team merely there on the fringes to fulfil the quota, but teams were forced to substantially involve girls
in the play to ensure that the first goal scorer criterion was fulfilled.

Mr Aasen recalled when a young boy on the team was asked what he had learned from the experience,
he responded that he had learned that girls also have the right to score goals. This surely is an invaluable
life lesson to teach a young boy about gender equality, and highlights the power of sport.

In this way, sport also has the capacity to foster education. Cyrille Ndongo-Keller, recalling his days as a
young boy playing football on the streets of Cameroon, insisted that sport promoted a type of street
education where children were able to learn valuable life skills. He cited his experiences of learning
how to repair a hole in a plastic football using a candle, and then using water to test whether it was
airtight.

Another powerful aspect of using sport as a tool for development is the potential of major sporting
events, topical given that the Olympic Games are upon us. This aspect is also of significant contemporary
importance as a rising world power in the form of Brasil reaches a critical juncture in its development
and economic growth, with both the Brasil 2014 FIFA Football World Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro
Olympic Games approaching.

We should not just see these global events as an opportunity to generate economic benefits for the
respective communities, but also as an opportunity to motivate people around the world to provide
children with the opportunity to access sport. It is important that we ensure that these major events are
undertaken in a manner that creates a lasting social legacy, through the establishment of community
programs and infrastructure. After all, every Olympic champion was once a child. Who knows where the
next one will come from?

As a nation so proud of its sporting culture, we must strive to ensure that every child in our world has
the opportunity to play.