Sport and International Development

Whatever the game and wherever the country, sport can play an important part in development.

Children playing soccer A child in Laos may be taught the difference between a ball and a landmine while learning a new game.

In the Pacific, vines are used as skipping ropes as part of a health program to reduce the incidence of obesity and diabetes.

Sports carnival on Taveuni Island, Fiji. Photo: Peter Davis

In any country sport provides a wide range of benefits. It brings people together and can even engender a sense of national pride. It keeps bodies healthy and souls happy. It can be done with a lot of resources or just a few. It's fun and just about everyone can take part.

It can also be used to sell messages that are important to a country's economic and social prosperity. For these reasons, the Australian Government sometimes uses sport in its aid program.

In Fiji, sport is a great social leveller. 'It gives kids of all ages and backgrounds skills and forges friendships between people who may not ordinarily meet. It offers positive ways of using spare time and the health benefits are obvious,' says Michelle Roffey, an Australian Youth Ambassador in Suva working with the Fiji Amateur Basketball Federation.

Michelle Roffey 'Part of my work, is to help develop the skills of local basketball players and coaches so that when I leave, the players will be able to run their own training course.'

Australian Youth Ambassador Michelle Roffey

There are often fundamental obstacles to providing sporting opportunities. For instance, transport is a big issue for many players. If they don't live within walking distance of a court, it's hard for kids to play at all.

In Fiji, basketball courts are outdoors so when it rains a lot, everything is put on hold. This makes it hard to maintain continuity in training and playing. But it's encouraging that, in some places, groups are raising funds so that they can cover the courts.

At present, Fiji ranks third in the region in basketball after Australia and New Zealand. 'If we were to win gold at an international event, it would be such a big thing for the sport and would be so good for Fiji in general,' Michelle Roffey says.

See Focus Magazine for more stories on Australian overseas aid.

2003