‘Sport for a better world’: Alliance of Sport contributes to first Olympism365 Summit
The Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice (AoS) was proud to contribute to the first Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Hosted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Summit brought together over 250 representatives from 100 organisations across the Olympic Movement, United Nations agencies, development and financing institutions, civil society, for-purpose business, safe sport community and IOC Young Leaders, working together to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through sport. Read more.
Building on the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit, held in Paris on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games, the event showcased and celebrated the collective impact of sport and community initiatives supported by a growing network of partners collaborating with the IOC.
It provided a unique platform to enhance collaboration, mobilise co-investment and launch joint action, culminating in further collective commitments and concrete action to advance sustainable development through sport.
AoS Chief Executive James Mapstone moderated two panels on ‘Safer communities through sport’ which featured Aimée Comrie, Chief, Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Section, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; Jimena Saldaña, Secretary General, Panam Sports; Axel Caldas, Head of Programme, GIZ Sport for Development; Vongthep Arthakaivalvatee, Senior Advisor, Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice ; Bookie Kittipoom Neamhom, Expert International Policy Coordination, Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ); Alma Eunice Rendón Cárdenas, Director, Red Viral, and Dr. Sophia Papamichalopoulos OLY, Founder, Winds of Change and IOC Young Leader.
James (pictured above) commented: “AoS is an international charity which oversees a growing network of organisations using sport to drive social change across the UK and Southeast Asia.
“We are proud to be working alongside local, national and global partners to strengthen collective action in support of the SDGs, and we are delighted to contribute to the first Olympism365 Summit which provides a real chance for people to come together and make genuine change, through sport.
“We look forward to building momentum through the Olympism365 Movement.”
IOC President Thomas Bach, during his opening address at the Summit, told delegates: “Your presence here today demonstrates the growing momentum behind our shared mission: to put sport at the service of society.
“The purpose of this Olympism365 Summit is not only to reflect on how far we have come, but, more importantly, to also chart the course for the future. What we have built together over the past years is only the beginning. Now is the time to take these efforts – and the goals of Olympic Agenda – to new heights.”
2025 also marks 10 years since the Alliance of Sport was created thanks to support from long-term partners Comic Relief and the UK’s HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). Read more about how AoS has been supporting the SDGs since they were first published by the United Nations in 2015.