Enriching lives through sport, International Inspiration inspires at Sport for All Conference in Peru

Debbie Lye, International Development Director and International Inspiration Director at UK Sport, presented on the British vision of “Enriching the lives of 12 million children and young people in 20 countries around the world through the power of high quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play” at the 15th International Olympic Committee (IOC) World Conference on Sport for All.

The Sport for All Conference focuses on promoting physical activity and how beneficial it can be for society. The IOC World Conference on Sport for All offers everyone involved in Sport for All around the world a forum to discuss the latest research, share successful experiences and discover the latest trends in the field.

Debbie’s session was moderated by Hein Verbruggen, SportAccord President and co-presenters were Julio Cesar Maglione, IOC Member Barry Maister, IOC Member and Vice President of ONOC, Paul Teeple, Director of Sport for Development in Partners of the Americas and UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke. The spotlight centred on International Inspiration and how it promotes that participation in sport can be massively beneficial as well as delivering increased human and social development.

The presentation, to a packed worldwide audience, looked at three key areas of Disability inclusion, gender equality and youth development. It also discussed how tailored programmes were built around the “three Ps” model of Policy makers, Practitioners and Participants in partnership with Governments to secure sustainable, lasting and wide-reaching access to sport for children and young people in-country with the aim of creating a single global movement.

With London 2012’s hugely successful International Inspiration set to continue through a charity of the same name, Debbie said: “Success stories need to be told loud and clear, and good practice needs to be championed and highlighted to secure future investment and continue to maximise the social benefits of sport.

There is no shortage of passion and commitment in the sport for development sector, and there is growing technical expertise in every region. But limited resources put a brake on what we can achieve.”