Beyond Conventional Limits: Intangible Heritage Values and Sustainability Through Sport

Abstract

For over ten millennia, sport has remained an integral part of the world’s cultural heritage and identity. However, the global community has only recently begun to realize the positive effects of sport. Although amateur sport and group play are known to boost empowerment, gender equality, inclusion and tolerance, UNESCO has yet to develop any programmes that combine the power of sport with the protection and promotion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Sport is a low-cost, high-impact tool that when combined with educational programming is a natural driver of sustainability. Widely utilized by other agencies within the UN, due to a disparate focus on physical heritage, the use of sport has remained almost non-existent within UNESCO. Unlike tourism and other predominantly economic-based approaches, sport is already deeply engrained in the fabrics of societies worldwide. This paper discusses the feasibility of using community level sports-based programming as a means to safeguarding ICH. It takes a critical look at the correlations that exist between sport and ICH as well as the role that sport plays in cultural transmission and socialization. By evaluating current programmes and existing literature, the author examines to what extent UNESCO has begun to implement sports-based programming and how these could be utilized to drive long-term sustainability. In order to go beyond the current confines of traditional sustainability methods, transdisciplinary models incorporating sport, cultural activities and social inclusion must be developed. Thompson concludes by suggesting that UNESCO not only has the means to implement such programming but also the responsibility.