The Social Impact of Sport: Unlocking the Potential of Sport to Drive Social Transformations, UNESCO

Drawing on insights from a wide range of academic and policy documents, this report presents a comprehensive analysis of the social value of sport across eight dimensions: health and well-being, equality and social inclusion, education and labour outcomes, youth empowerment and civic engagement, economic development, security and violence prevention, peacebuilding and environmental sustainability. It provides compelling evidence of sport’s cost-effectiveness and its profound benefits on individuals and society. The report highlights key challenges such as gaps in research and evidence, geographical imbalance in global evidence and knowledge, insufficient funding, the need for coordinated action and inadequate programme design along with opportunities to enhance sport in achieving social impact. Evidence suggests that investing in sport for social objectives can yield significant returns, with some regions showing a social return on investment of up to 3.28 for every financial unit invested.

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