IFAF celebrates the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) in line with the United Nations’ 2026 theme, ‘Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers’.

Sport-led projects can foster inclusion, build bridges across communities and break down social barriers, especially in Africa, which will host the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026. IDSDP represents a chance for all within the Olympic Movement to highlight how sport can drive real change in societies.

As a universal language that transcends cultural, social, and boundaries, sport serves as a powerful catalyst for social transformation. Sport connects communities across borders and generations, reducing isolation among marginalized groups, and creating spaces for dialogue, solidarity, and mutual respect.

The 2026 International Day will highlight evidence-based approaches and best practices demonstrating how sport contributes measurably to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly in advancing health, gender equality, reduced inequalities, and peaceful, inclusive societies. Through dialogue, partnerships, and shared experiences, IDSDP 2026 will reaffirm sport’s role as a strategic tool for building bridges between people and breaking down barriers to inclusion, leaving no one behind.

Due to its vast reach, unparalleled popularity and foundation of positive values, sport is ideally positioned to contribute towards the United Nations’ objectives for development and peace.