LONDON, 06 MAY 2021 (COMSEC)—Registrations are now open for the second round of an online course, designed to harness sport for sustainable development.
The Commonwealth Secretariat developed the course together with the Government of Australia and the International Platform on Sport and Development.
Offered for free, the course helps participants understand the impact of sport on issues such as gender inequality and unemployment, and learn key policy and programme approaches to address them.
Since its launch in July 2020, the course has attracted many participants from the public, private and non-profit sector, including representatives of prominent sporting bodies.
More than 3,400 learners from 165 countries attended the course. Many described the course as “filling a crucial gap in the sport and development field”. About 96 per cent of the surveyed learners rated the course as “exceeding expectations”.
One participant said: “The course was well presented and utilised many experts in the field to provide information and perspective.
“A brilliant resource for sport and development practitioners which provides a one-stop shop for information, tools and frameworks to assist in the design and delivery of sport and development [initiatives].”
Speaking before the announcement, Layne Robinson, Head of Social Policy Development at the Secretariat said the course is an important Commonwealth initiative which comes when the sport industry has been severally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added: “It is well established that the essential closing of sports centres and cancellation of sporting fixtures to halt the spread of COVID-19 are having a worrying economic impact and a knock-on effect on the health of our people.
“As we focus on rebuilding this critical industry, this course will help us build innovative policies that are robust enough to withstand the future challenges.
“As we look towards building back better, the key to a sustained recovery will be targeted, well-designed policies, and the increased understanding of sport’s potential contribution to key development outcomes.”
Sign up for the course
People around the world are eligible to register for the course, entitled Sport for Sustainable Development: Designing Effective Policies and Programmes. The online classes start from 10 May 2021.
