First step: develop sustainable sport structure

Is building up sport capacity in developing countries the same as capacity building in other sectors of development cooperation? In other words, is the development of sport a development goal in itself, or is sport a means by which to achieve specific development objectives? Consultation of experts brought forward the conviction that sport can only be used as an instrument if the sport in itself has already become sufficiently developed (i.e. if sport capacity has been built up). So even if you see sport simply as a vehicle for teaching life skills, for example, the first step is developing a sustainable sport structure and organisation. This implies that if development organisations want to work with sport, they will need specialised sports organisations to lay the foundation.

Capacity building is aimed at strengthening organisations, in this specific case generally local NGOs that use sport as a means for social change. The central question is how to ensure that these organisations can supply better services and products to their target group or local partner organisations, now and in the longer term, so that the NGO is able to give shape to the further chain of social change.