Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Essay: HIV/AIDS prevention and peace through sport

2005; Elsevier BV; Volume: 366; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0140-6736(05)67820-8

1474-547X

Johann O Koss, Anna Alexandrova,

Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Sport is rapidly gaining recognition as a simple, low-cost, and effective means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals: a set of benchmarks agreed on by the international community to be achieved by 2015.Sport and play are fundamental to healthy child development, teaching children essential values and life skills, such as teamwork, cooperation, and respect. These factors help to build resilience by building confidence through the acquisition of skills, and create a meaningful connection to adults through positive coaching relationships. Active children grow into active healthy adults. WHO notes that, with physical inactivity and poor diet being the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases, exercise has become a fundamental way to improve the physical and mental health of individuals. Furthermore, the convening power of sport and its ability to effectively transmit non-political messages about health and behaviour change mean it plays a major part in the prevention of infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis.According to reports from UNAIDS, at the end of 2003 more than 40 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. 25 million of these individuals live in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where unsafe sexual practices are widespread and remain the most prevalent mode of HIV transmission. Girls and women are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, according to UNAIDS, and in sub-Saharan Africa are 1·2 times more likely to be infected than men.In 2003, a joint UNICEF, UNAIDS, and WHO report revealed that in the areas where infection rates were declining, young people were being empowered with information and the skills to adopt safer behaviours. Sport and play are the natural forums for knowledge and information sharing, and should be used alongside other mechanisms to raise awareness of the HIV epidemic and to facilitate prevention.The convening power of sport can be effectively used to tackle stigma and discrimination, and to reach out to the most vulnerable populations—namely, girls, adolescents, and street children or young people—with messages about HIV/AIDS prevention (panel 1). Indeed, in 2004, in recognition of the power of sport to break down barriers and of its importance in communities, UNAIDS signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Olympic Committee, in which both organisations agreed to combine their efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.Panel 1Sport and HIV/AIDS education and preventionFootball for Life (http://www.unicef.org/football/world/)A programme supported by UNICEF in Honduras, Football for Life promotes HIV/AIDS prevention and strives to protect young people from sexual exploitation. Older adolescents volunteer as role models for younger football players, and a weekly match is accompanied by discussion about HIV/AIDS.Kicking AIDS Out! (http://www.kickingaidsout.net)This initiative is a global network partnership, which draws on the strengths of a diverse network of organisations. The members of the network use sport and physical activity to motivate behaviour change and increase community awareness about HIV/AIDS through various programmes, such as peer mentoring and leadership.Right To Play (http://www.righttoplay.com)Right To Play implements HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in several countries. In rural Mozambique, for example, the international organisation works to increase HIV/AIDS awareness. It trains local coaches to serve as role models for children and young people and aims to reach the most remote communities with correct information and prevention messages. By using traditional games, children in Mozambique readily learn the myths and facts about the epidemic, and convey this information to others.Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA; http://www.mysakenya.org)In Kenya, the MYSA has been training coaches, leaders, and young people on health-related issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention, often through organised sport events where young people learn about HIV/AIDS during breaks. MYSA also holds so-called gender forums, where boys and girls, guided by coaches, discuss issues related to HIV/AIDS and its prevention. MYSA firmly believes that sport and fair play—respect for your teammate, your opponent, yourself, and the game—will help eliminate HIV/AIDS-related discrimination by including people who live with the disease.A comprehensive approach to HIV prevention, one that uses various methods from which people can choose, works best. This fact is especially true with respect to young people. Empowering them with facts, skills, and means for protection is crucial to halt the spread of the epidemic. Repetitive sport and play activities, which emphasise healthy behaviour, provide a great opportunity for children to learn how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination and focusing on vulnerable populations is another area where sport can help, because of its inclusive nature. Sport and play activities, which involve children who live and are affected by HIV/AIDS, encourage open discussions, dispelling myths and breaking down the stigma that surrounds the illness.In addition to the important role of sport in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in communities worldwide it is used to encourage peace. The tradition of the Olympic Truce is an obvious example. It represents the longest lasting peace accord in history and is accepted at the highest international level. In 2004, North and South Korea marched under the same flag of the Korean Peninsula at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, and athletes from Iraq received an especially warm welcome from the audience. In 1998, during the Nagano Winter Olympic Games, the observance of the Olympic Truce allowed the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to intervene to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Iraq.As an international language for peace, sport is increasingly being used by agencies of the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. In partnership with grassroot and local agencies, they deliver non-political messages about peace, using sport—for example, for the reintegration of former child combatants into the community, and for teaching refugees, internally displaced populations, and other vulnerable people peaceful conflict-resolution skills.In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, children from both countries play football together, assisted by The Peres Center for Peace and Right To Play. Children from five Palestinian communities from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and from five Israeli communities from all across Israel come together for regular sport and play activities, supervised by trained Israeli and Palestinian coaches (panel 2). The targeted communities have high unemployment, and little interaction between Palestinians and Israelis is otherwise seen.Panel 2Twinned peace soccer schoolsSport is used in this project to bring together Palestinian and Israeli children in a neutral environment. Through sport and play, children are encouraged to communicate with one another, and to learn the importance of teamwork. 100 Palestinian children from Beit Zafafa and 100 Israeli children from Kiryat Gat, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years, currently take part in the programme. The children are exposed to cultural differences, and learn to accept them while improving their sport skills. They experience teamwork and the benefits of cooperation, while gaining confidence and leadership skills, as well as learning about fair play and responsibility. The programme involves two training sessions per week, each lasting 90 minutes, and a monthly organised play activity. The children are also engaged in auxiliary educational support sessions, with a view to improving their scholastic abilities. Finally, the children participate in a peace education component, structured around a manual that has been developed specifically for the needs of this project. In their sport and play activities, children are guided by trained coaches from both countries.In Burundi, to alleviate ethnic conflicts, the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations Development Programme have supported an initiative launched by young people in Bujumbura to promote inter-ethnic tolerance and understanding, by bringing young people from different ethnic backgrounds together for sport activities.Since the late 1990s various international forums have discussed the potential contribution of sport to human development, emphasising its development and peace-building potential. In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a special resolution—sport as a means to promote education, health, development, and peace—that called on governments to secure a place for sport in national programmes and policies.However, what seems to be missing from the current discourse is the general commitment of national governments to give sport and play a chance as actors in development. Furthermore, an overall acceptance of a comprehensive definition of sport, which is not limited to the elite sports, but encompasses all forms of physical activity, is needed. The definition should be built on the values of inclusion, respect for your opponents, and fair play. In some countries, already scarce government resources dedicated for sport are spent entirely on the elite sports, which are open to few and do not directly benefit many. In other countries, sport for all is regarded as a luxury. Only a handful of developed countries, such as Canada, Holland, USA, Norway, and Switzerland, actually use sport in their foreign-assistance policies, and provide targeted funding to a handful of sport-based initiatives.Despite the international consensus of their importance for child and community development, sport and play programmes often remain on the margins of governmental support and attention. To sustain the available efforts, and to give the most disadvantaged children a sporting chance, support from national governments is crucial. Inclusion of sport as a method for development in the national programmes and policies is key to ensure the lasting legacy of current development efforts. To achieve this aim, several objectives need to be met: strong links between sport and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals need to be established; existing best practices from the field need to be converted into policy; and viable partnerships—between national governments, civil society actors, and the United Nations—need to be built in sport and development. Johann Koss is a four-time Olympic gold medallist in speed-skating. At the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Johann donated the prize money from his 1500 m victory to Right to Play (then known as Olympic Aid) and challenged other athletes to do the same. He is the President and CEO of Right To Play. Anna Alexandrova has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights, and policy development in various countries of the former Soviet Union and in Canada. An avid runner and athlete, she is a Manager, Policy, with Right To Play. Sport is rapidly gaining recognition as a simple, low-cost, and effective means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals: a set of benchmarks agreed on by the international community to be achieved by 2015. Sport and play are fundamental to healthy child development, teaching children essential values and life skills, such as teamwork, cooperation, and respect. These factors help to build resilience by building confidence through the acquisition of skills, and create a meaningful connection to adults through positive coaching relationships. Active children grow into active healthy adults. WHO notes that, with physical inactivity and poor diet being the major risk factors for non-communicable diseases, exercise has become a fundamental way to improve the physical and mental health of individuals. Furthermore, the convening power of sport and its ability to effectively transmit non-political messages about health and behaviour change mean it plays a major part in the prevention of infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. According to reports from UNAIDS, at the end of 2003 more than 40 million people were living with HIV/AIDS. 25 million of these individuals live in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa, where unsafe sexual practices are widespread and remain the most prevalent mode of HIV transmission. Girls and women are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, according to UNAIDS, and in sub-Saharan Africa are 1·2 times more likely to be infected than men. In 2003, a joint UNICEF, UNAIDS, and WHO report revealed that in the areas where infection rates were declining, young people were being empowered with information and the skills to adopt safer behaviours. Sport and play are the natural forums for knowledge and information sharing, and should be used alongside other mechanisms to raise awareness of the HIV epidemic and to facilitate prevention. The convening power of sport can be effectively used to tackle stigma and discrimination, and to reach out to the most vulnerable populations—namely, girls, adolescents, and street children or young people—with messages about HIV/AIDS prevention (panel 1). Indeed, in 2004, in recognition of the power of sport to break down barriers and of its importance in communities, UNAIDS signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Olympic Committee, in which both organisations agreed to combine their efforts to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. Football for Life (http://www.unicef.org/football/world/)A programme supported by UNICEF in Honduras, Football for Life promotes HIV/AIDS prevention and strives to protect young people from sexual exploitation. Older adolescents volunteer as role models for younger football players, and a weekly match is accompanied by discussion about HIV/AIDS.Kicking AIDS Out! (http://www.kickingaidsout.net)This initiative is a global network partnership, which draws on the strengths of a diverse network of organisations. The members of the network use sport and physical activity to motivate behaviour change and increase community awareness about HIV/AIDS through various programmes, such as peer mentoring and leadership.Right To Play (http://www.righttoplay.com)Right To Play implements HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in several countries. In rural Mozambique, for example, the international organisation works to increase HIV/AIDS awareness. It trains local coaches to serve as role models for children and young people and aims to reach the most remote communities with correct information and prevention messages. By using traditional games, children in Mozambique readily learn the myths and facts about the epidemic, and convey this information to others.Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA; http://www.mysakenya.org)In Kenya, the MYSA has been training coaches, leaders, and young people on health-related issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention, often through organised sport events where young people learn about HIV/AIDS during breaks. MYSA also holds so-called gender forums, where boys and girls, guided by coaches, discuss issues related to HIV/AIDS and its prevention. MYSA firmly believes that sport and fair play—respect for your teammate, your opponent, yourself, and the game—will help eliminate HIV/AIDS-related discrimination by including people who live with the disease. Football for Life (http://www.unicef.org/football/world/) A programme supported by UNICEF in Honduras, Football for Life promotes HIV/AIDS prevention and strives to protect young people from sexual exploitation. Older adolescents volunteer as role models for younger football players, and a weekly match is accompanied by discussion about HIV/AIDS. Kicking AIDS Out! (http://www.kickingaidsout.net) This initiative is a global network partnership, which draws on the strengths of a diverse network of organisations. The members of the network use sport and physical activity to motivate behaviour change and increase community awareness about HIV/AIDS through various programmes, such as peer mentoring and leadership. Right To Play (http://www.righttoplay.com) Right To Play implements HIV/AIDS awareness programmes in several countries. In rural Mozambique, for example, the international organisation works to increase HIV/AIDS awareness. It trains local coaches to serve as role models for children and young people and aims to reach the most remote communities with correct information and prevention messages. By using traditional games, children in Mozambique readily learn the myths and facts about the epidemic, and convey this information to others. Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA; http://www.mysakenya.org) In Kenya, the MYSA has been training coaches, leaders, and young people on health-related issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention, often through organised sport events where young people learn about HIV/AIDS during breaks. MYSA also holds so-called gender forums, where boys and girls, guided by coaches, discuss issues related to HIV/AIDS and its prevention. MYSA firmly believes that sport and fair play—respect for your teammate, your opponent, yourself, and the game—will help eliminate HIV/AIDS-related discrimination by including people who live with the disease. A comprehensive approach to HIV prevention, one that uses various methods from which people can choose, works best. This fact is especially true with respect to young people. Empowering them with facts, skills, and means for protection is crucial to halt the spread of the epidemic. Repetitive sport and play activities, which emphasise healthy behaviour, provide a great opportunity for children to learn how to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. Reducing HIV-related stigma and discrimination and focusing on vulnerable populations is another area where sport can help, because of its inclusive nature. Sport and play activities, which involve children who live and are affected by HIV/AIDS, encourage open discussions, dispelling myths and breaking down the stigma that surrounds the illness. In addition to the important role of sport in the fight against HIV/AIDS, in communities worldwide it is used to encourage peace. The tradition of the Olympic Truce is an obvious example. It represents the longest lasting peace accord in history and is accepted at the highest international level. In 2004, North and South Korea marched under the same flag of the Korean Peninsula at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, and athletes from Iraq received an especially warm welcome from the audience. In 1998, during the Nagano Winter Olympic Games, the observance of the Olympic Truce allowed the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to intervene to seek a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Iraq. As an international language for peace, sport is increasingly being used by agencies of the United Nations and non-governmental organisations. In partnership with grassroot and local agencies, they deliver non-political messages about peace, using sport—for example, for the reintegration of former child combatants into the community, and for teaching refugees, internally displaced populations, and other vulnerable people peaceful conflict-resolution skills. In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, children from both countries play football together, assisted by The Peres Center for Peace and Right To Play. Children from five Palestinian communities from the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and from five Israeli communities from all across Israel come together for regular sport and play activities, supervised by trained Israeli and Palestinian coaches (panel 2). The targeted communities have high unemployment, and little interaction between Palestinians and Israelis is otherwise seen. Sport is used in this project to bring together Palestinian and Israeli children in a neutral environment. Through sport and play, children are encouraged to communicate with one another, and to learn the importance of teamwork. 100 Palestinian children from Beit Zafafa and 100 Israeli children from Kiryat Gat, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years, currently take part in the programme. The children are exposed to cultural differences, and learn to accept them while improving their sport skills. They experience teamwork and the benefits of cooperation, while gaining confidence and leadership skills, as well as learning about fair play and responsibility. The programme involves two training sessions per week, each lasting 90 minutes, and a monthly organised play activity. The children are also engaged in auxiliary educational support sessions, with a view to improving their scholastic abilities. Finally, the children participate in a peace education component, structured around a manual that has been developed specifically for the needs of this project. In their sport and play activities, children are guided by trained coaches from both countries. Sport is used in this project to bring together Palestinian and Israeli children in a neutral environment. Through sport and play, children are encouraged to communicate with one another, and to learn the importance of teamwork. 100 Palestinian children from Beit Zafafa and 100 Israeli children from Kiryat Gat, ranging in age from 6 to 13 years, currently take part in the programme. The children are exposed to cultural differences, and learn to accept them while improving their sport skills. They experience teamwork and the benefits of cooperation, while gaining confidence and leadership skills, as well as learning about fair play and responsibility. The programme involves two training sessions per week, each lasting 90 minutes, and a monthly organised play activity. The children are also engaged in auxiliary educational support sessions, with a view to improving their scholastic abilities. Finally, the children participate in a peace education component, structured around a manual that has been developed specifically for the needs of this project. In their sport and play activities, children are guided by trained coaches from both countries. In Burundi, to alleviate ethnic conflicts, the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations Development Programme have supported an initiative launched by young people in Bujumbura to promote inter-ethnic tolerance and understanding, by bringing young people from different ethnic backgrounds together for sport activities. Since the late 1990s various international forums have discussed the potential contribution of sport to human development, emphasising its development and peace-building potential. In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a special resolution—sport as a means to promote education, health, development, and peace—that called on governments to secure a place for sport in national programmes and policies. However, what seems to be missing from the current discourse is the general commitment of national governments to give sport and play a chance as actors in development. Furthermore, an overall acceptance of a comprehensive definition of sport, which is not limited to the elite sports, but encompasses all forms of physical activity, is needed. The definition should be built on the values of inclusion, respect for your opponents, and fair play. In some countries, already scarce government resources dedicated for sport are spent entirely on the elite sports, which are open to few and do not directly benefit many. In other countries, sport for all is regarded as a luxury. Only a handful of developed countries, such as Canada, Holland, USA, Norway, and Switzerland, actually use sport in their foreign-assistance policies, and provide targeted funding to a handful of sport-based initiatives. Despite the international consensus of their importance for child and community development, sport and play programmes often remain on the margins of governmental support and attention. To sustain the available efforts, and to give the most disadvantaged children a sporting chance, support from national governments is crucial. Inclusion of sport as a method for development in the national programmes and policies is key to ensure the lasting legacy of current development efforts. To achieve this aim, several objectives need to be met: strong links between sport and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals need to be established; existing best practices from the field need to be converted into policy; and viable partnerships—between national governments, civil society actors, and the United Nations—need to be built in sport and development. Johann Koss is a four-time Olympic gold medallist in speed-skating. At the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Johann donated the prize money from his 1500 m victory to Right to Play (then known as Olympic Aid) and challenged other athletes to do the same. He is the President and CEO of Right To Play. Anna Alexandrova has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights, and policy development in various countries of the former Soviet Union and in Canada. An avid runner and athlete, she is a Manager, Policy, with Right To Play. Johann Koss is a four-time Olympic gold medallist in speed-skating. At the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Johann donated the prize money from his 1500 m victory to Right to Play (then known as Olympic Aid) and challenged other athletes to do the same. He is the President and CEO of Right To Play. Anna Alexandrova has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights, and policy development in various countries of the former Soviet Union and in Canada. An avid runner and athlete, she is a Manager, Policy, with Right To Play. Johann Koss is a four-time Olympic gold medallist in speed-skating. At the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, Johann donated the prize money from his 1500 m victory to Right to Play (then known as Olympic Aid) and challenged other athletes to do the same. He is the President and CEO of Right To Play. Anna Alexandrova has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights, and policy development in various countries of the former Soviet Union and in Canada. An avid runner and athlete, she is a Manager, Policy, with Right To Play.