04 October 2024 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UN-Habitat have announced that four cities from Jordan, Brazil, Egypt and Ghana will join the Sport for Sustainable Urban Development Initiative. This marks a significant step forward in the collaboration between the IOC and UN-Habitat, which aims to promote sport and physical activity in urban environments.

The four cities will now work alongside Brisbane, which became the first city to join the initiative in December 2023. In these early adopter cities, seed funding will be provided to improve infrastructure for sport, physical activity and active recreation, as well as to deliver accessible and inclusive sports participation programmes. Additionally, training will be delivered to local organisations to help them implement initiatives contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) in urban areas, as well as urban regeneration through sport, physical activity and active recreation. Through this initiative, around 25,000 people will be able to access new opportunities to participate in safe, accessible, inclusive and social development-orientated sport.

The percentage of the world’s population accommodated in cities and urban areas is set to grow from 55% to 70% by 2050, meaning it is important to enable sustainable development in urban areas. Through their efforts, the IOC and UN-Habitat hope to empower local communities, while also highlighting the importance of sport for the sustainable development of cities and the well-being of their residents.

Integrating sport into urban development

This milestone announcement comes as part of a five-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the IOC and UN-Habitat, signed in July 2024 (Link).

In addition to working with the five early adopter cities, the IOC and UN-Habitat are also working together to develop a technical resource package that provides guidance to cities on integrating sport, physical activity and active recreation into sustainable urban development processes. This will be presented and promoted at the World Urban Forum, to be held in Cairo, Egypt, from 4 to 8 November.

The collaboration between the IOC and UN-Habitat builds on the reforms of the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, as well as the recognition in 2015 by the UN 2030 International Development Agenda of sport as an enabler for achieving the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. Yesterday, at the United Nations Summit of the Future, UN Member States once again recognised sport as an integral component of sustainable development, by adopting the Pact for the Future.

The Sport for Sustainable Urban Development Initiative is part of the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy, which uses sport to promote sustainable development, by engaging with UN-Habitat’s extensive networks of city leaders and officials.

The Sport for Sustainable Urban Development initiative will also support UN-Habitat’s flagship programmes, “SDG Cities” and “Inclusive Communities, Thriving Cities”. SDG Cities aims to provide a systematic approach to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs in cities and urban areas.

The programme’s comprehensive strategy focuses on three key areas: data, strategic decision-making, and implementation, including financing and capacity-building. The Inclusive Communities, Thriving Cities Programme employs urban regeneration as a tool to reduce spatial inequalities and poverty, fostering connected, dynamic, diverse and vibrant neighbourhoods. This transformation of urban areas is expected to lead to an increase in equality of outcomes for all.

Olympism365 is the IOC’s strategy and programme to strengthen the role of sport as an important enabler for the SDGs, which it achieves by collaborating with a range of organisations from both within and beyond the Olympic Movement. The themes and targeted outcomes areas for Olympism365 reflect the positive role that sport and Olympism can play in society by contributing to creating healthier and more active communities, more equitable, safer and inclusive communities, peacebuilding, and education and livelihoods. It is a catalyst for collective action, innovation and realising the potential of urban sport and virtual sport to be a force for good.