From the thrill of fast kicks in soccer to precise swings in golf, sports offer a universal language that transcends borders and cultures. But the games are more than entertainment. In a globalized world, sports can be leveraged for development and peace. But the complexities of sport are sometimes overlooked in a rush to capitalize on the popularity of sporting events. The success of the Olympic Games in promoting peace and social change arose from a broader set of efforts that combine sports with development and diplomacy.

The Olympics were the first global sporting event to embrace a multi-country competition model. The 1904 Games included anthropological days where indigenous peoples from North America, Argentina, Central Africa, and even Japan participated in various athletic disciplines. The goal was to prove that these “primitive” races were not only intellectually inferior but also physically at the bottom rung of humanity.

With the advent of decolonization in the post-World War II era, international sports organizations grew to include the newly independent states of Asia and Africa. This shift in the international aspect of transnational sport, symbolized by the shifting of the “Auld Mug” yacht race to non-European waters, has radically transformed sports in many parts of the world.

As sports grew increasingly popular in countries where American cultural and economic influence was dominant, baseball (American), basketball and volleyball exploded in popularity worldwide. These games have a unique appeal because they are played by all kinds of people, with no specific gender or size requirements.

A large number of sports-related nonprofit organizations—governmental, non-governmental, corporate, charitable, and sport-based—have used the power of sport to tackle a range of enduring development challenges. These organizations have regularly targeted a variety of issues, such as gender equality and empowerment, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, poverty alleviation, environmental clean-up, and social development. Learn more by heading over to 해외스포츠중계.

Those who want to make the world a better place should think twice about using the platform provided by international sports to promote democracy and freedom, especially when they are in power in regimes with questionable human rights records. The last thing the world needs is for major sporting events to become permanent political battlegrounds.