ANI |
Updated: Aug 21, 2020 12:34 IST

London [UK], Aug 21 (ANI): The Commonwealth Sport Foundation, the new charitable foundation of the Commonwealth Sport Movement, has been unveiled on Friday with an ambition to help address some of the world’s greatest challenges.

The establishment of a charitable foundation is a key objective in the Commonwealth Sport Movement’s Transformation 2022 strategy – which repositions the Commonwealth Games beyond a quadrennial sporting spectacle towards a wider movement which benefits communities through sport every day across the Commonwealth.

The Foundation, which has been launched during the week marking the 90-year anniversary of the inaugural Games in Hamilton, Ontario in 1930, has five strategic development priorities. It will focus on: Youth Empowerment; Equal Rights; Historical Injustice; Small States and Island States; and Sustainable Cities and Communities.

“There has never been a more important time to fully realise the potential and impact of Commonwealth Sport. Commonwealth citizens and communities are faced with urgent issues and challenges impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, compounding longstanding or systemic issues relating to poverty, conflict, climate change, racial inequality, discrimination, economic uncertainty, health and wellbeing, education, the digital divide and post-colonial legacies,” Commonwealth Games Federation President Dame Louise Martin said in a statement.

“However, as we reflect on how far we have come since the very first Games in 1930, and our shared history, global and cultural diversity, I passionately believe we can be united by our common ambitions and collective impact, as well as our past. Through the Commonwealth Sport Foundation, inspired by our engaged athletes and communities, our aim is to shape a more peaceful, sustainable and prosperous future generations across the Commonwealth,” she added.
Formally registered as a charity in the UK, recruitment to the independent board of the Commonwealth Sport Foundation has commenced.

Partnership, project and fundraising strategies are at the early stages of development and work has started on a 3.5 million pound development fund, enabled through the 2022 Commonwealth Games Host City Contract, ensuring the vision, legacy and benefits of Birmingham 2022 are brought to life across the 71 nations and territories of the Commonwealth through sport. (ANI)