An exciting topic of the EASM2025 conference is ‘Sport Development and Socio-Cultural Perspectives’. An interview was made with one of the experts of the topic, Dr Tamás Dóczi, lecturer of the Department of Social Sciences at the Hungarian University of Sports Sciences.
– What role does sport play in promoting social cohesion and community building among groups with different cultural backgrounds?
– The most important characteristic of sport in this regard is that it is a common language, which can bring people together, even if they don’t actually speak the same language. Sporting activities are also good for setting common goals among team members, and striving for common goals can certainly strengthen cohesion. However, it would be a bit too idealistic to claim that these positive outcomes happen automatically, as soon as we “throw a ball in the middle”. No, we have to work for them consciously, when planning, delivering, and last, but not least, when evaluating these sport-related activities, programs and organizations.
– How do cultural values and norms impact access to and participation in sport in various social groups?
–Well, even if we like to think that sport is accessible for all, reality is a bit different. It’s true that if you have a ball, we can play with it, and if you have legs, you can go running. First of all, most sports require more equipment than this, and then the financial burden comes in as an obstacle to participation. Secondly, as soon as we move into the domain of organized sport, or high-performance sport, membership fees and the entire structural setup of sport clubs can make it difficult for socially disadvantaged people to join. The problem with this is that a lot of the socialization-related benefits we connect to sport can only emerge during organized activities, guided by pedagogically qualified instructors. And thirdly, indeed, the cultural background of families will have an impact on whether they encourage their members (especially girls and women) to participate in sport, but it will also influence their way of thinking about the purpose and meaning of sport. So, for example, if highly competitive, individual vs. individual games are not really part of a given culture, people will find it difficult to relate to the Western sporting culture defined by values of individualism, competition and constant development.
– What challenges do sport-for-development programs face when it comes to gender equality and equal opportunities for different social groups?
– As I said it before, social and cultural norms related to the participation of girls and women can be very different in various regions of the globe, and this diversity definitely requires very different solutions, when it comes to delivering SDP projects, or when equal access to sport is set as an objective. The challenge is to be adaptive without stigmatizing, and to avoid forcing solutions that we think would work in any context because they work in ours. To improve the chances of success, target groups need to be consulted from the initial stages of planning.
– What role do the Olympic Games and global sporting events play in transmitting cultural values and shaping social attitudes?
– Since these events gain incredible publicity, they can indeed reach billions of people across the planet. This gives the opportunity to promote values, foster the acceptance of certain minorities, or human rights in general. Yet, it would be too easy to say that these sport mega-events can serve as the firm foundations of world peace and unity. In fact, these are contested terrains where different beliefs and values are manifested and gain a lot of publicity, so I would rather see them as opportunities for all of us to realize our commonalities and differences and to have our debates and meaningful conversations about how we can live together in spite of these differences.
