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MAKING SPORTS ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL
What the article is about?
- Talks about the stigma and stereotypes that make sports, especially for the disabled, less inclusive.
Syllabus: GS-I Patriarchy and social stigmas; GS-II Issues associated with women; GS-III Inclusive growth and development
Sports and hurdles:
- Marginalised communities, women and persons with disabilities are often ignored in sports and activities.
- Budget allocations for physical education and sport remain low.
- In addition, social and cultural barriers restrict the participation of women and girls in sports.
- The sports landscape is far more unfavourable for women and girls with disabilities, with opportunities minimised due to discrimination based on gender and disability.
- COVID-19 challenged the inclusive legacy of the 2020 Paralympics, in turn threatening the wider benefits that sports can generate for individuals and communities.
- As lockdowns and social distancing measures were imposed, fewer people were practising and benefiting from sports.
- This intensified physical inactivity and the deterioration of mental health.
- UNESCO’s worldwide survey of school physical education shows that some 70% of physical education teachers consider their students’ physical and mental health to have worsened during the pandemic, with children with disabilities among the most affected.
- This necessitates the need for making sports accessible and inclusive for all by challenging the stigma and stereotypes that surround women and persons with disabilities in sports.
Way Ahead:
- When sports become inclusive, they have the potential to transform not just the lives of those playing but also of the wider community by encouraging the values of fair play.
- Systems and structures that give a voice and opportunities to everyone tend to be more stable and peaceful.
- Societies will need to prioritise solutions that benefit all people to ‘build back better’.
- Creating an inclusive sporting culture requires effective policies, progressive curricula focused on quality physical education and well-equipped/trained physical education professionals.
- To support this vision, UNESCO is launching its Fit for Life flagship initiative in India
- Fit for Life is designed to activate smart investments in impactful sports policies, school curricula, and grassroots participation to scale up effective solutions tackling rising physical inactivity, mental health issues, social exclusion, and inequalities.
- In doing so, and alongside complimentary ongoing initiatives such as the Fit India campaign and Khelo India, it is hoped that there will be greater collaboration for healthier, more inclusive and equitable communities.
Conclusion
- In its contribution to achieving educational, health and equality outcomes, sport plays a vital role in furthering the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
