Sport and governance: peacebuilding in communities affected by the armed conflict in Colombia

Abstract

Five decades of victimizing events have affected the lives of Colombians and exposed them to diverse forms of violence. The conflict’s consequences were evident in the weakening of the bonds between citizens because of limited cooperation and the loss of faith in country institutions. The limitation of the government is to guide the country amid great social conflicts in an exercise of territorial governance. The community improve their own mechanisms to contribute to local development under a peacebuilding approach to overcome social vulnerabilities. The research study focuses on highlighting the collective capabilities that a community sport experience promotes among members of communities affected by social conflicts for an effective contribution to promote positive change. The study used qualitative descriptive methods of inquiry and six in depth semi structured interviews. The study offers five public policy recommendations based on the results: the evidence to local governments and the national government in Colombia.