THE MANY CULTURAL MEANINGS OF SPORT FOR ALL
Introducing the new book "Worldwide Experience and Trends in Sport forAll"

L. P. DACOSTA & A. MIRAGAYA
University Gama Filho - Rio de Janeiro
Editors of theinternational book published by
Meyer & Meyer Sport,
Aachen, Germany, 2002

When Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the Olympic Movement of the Modern
Era, coined and used the expression Sport for All (SFA) for the first time in 1919,
he meant sport for everybody and considered it explicitly a utopia. However, it ispossible to admit that along the years, since that occasion, sports have become
part of the daily lives of millions of individuals. Sports are played everywhere in thefive continents, wherever there are human beings (sport is a representational andcultural practice that has grown together with social development). Sports areplayed in big cities, small cities and the countryside, by the talented and the nontalented, by men and women, by children of all ages, by the elderly, by thehandicapped, by prisoners, by refugees, by immigrants, by the employed and theunemployed, by people of all colors and religions.
According to the new SFA book, one in every six inhabitants of the
population of the planet does some kind of physical activity or sport. Therefore,
sports have almost become an international currency, accepted by everybody
everywhere. This estimate is supported by the contributions to the SFA book, which
had 87 authors putting together 36 countries for a comparative study made by theeditors.
In terms of intervention by professionals and institutions, SFA has initiallyassumed the meaning of democratization of sport in international perspective since1975, when the Charter of Sport for All - Council of Europe was published.
Previously, in 1971, the FIEP Manifest as referred to 80 countries emphasized therole of SFA in Physical Education. Pierre Seurin, FIEP's president at that time,reported the fact in his famous book "Fundamental Problems of Physical Educationand Sport" (1979, p.50). Unsurprisingly, this support has become a tradition as it
may be seen in the recent issued FIEP World Manifest of Physical Education – 2000,
which includes "Sport for All" in its chapter 10.

Despite this historical involvement of leading international bodies, SFA has
been progressing with loose definitions mainly used to classify initiatives that offer
access and opportunity of physical activities for people without motivation,awareness and means to participate in them. However, today's conception of SFA
according to the comparative research found in the aforementioned book is related
primarily to sport, games, and physical exercise practiced as social development
tools for the benefit of its participants and of society as a whole.
Since the 1970s, SFA has also been promoted by specialized international
associations, namely Trim and Fitness International Sport for All Association(TAFISA) and the Fédération Internationale du Sport pour Tous (FISpT), in order tomaintain the original drive of SFA movement throughout the world. Besides theCouncil of Europe and FIEP, it is also important to mention the involvement of othernon-specialized international organizations in SFA developments as attending
broader aims of sport, health, education and culture, such as UNESCO, WHO, IOC,ICSSPE and CSIT.
Still focusing on the SFA book, campaigns to motivate and encourage
participation of the general public have existed in several countries for some time.
However, mass campaigns that work for a nation do not necessarily work for
another especially because of a delicate and crucial role played by culturalelements. They are the keys for any project to function. It is very difficult for amass campaign to be transplanted to another culture if no adaptations and changes
are tailored-made for that specific scenario, respecting the cultural environmentand cultural beliefs of the people involved. The emphasis of SFA is on cooperation,
creativity and challenge, enjoyment, self-expression, individual difference rather
than competition.
From the government point of view, the experience surveyed in SFA means
the involvement of great numbers of the population in sport, community recreation,
fitness, outdoor recreation, and other physical activities to increase and enhancelifelong participation, to realize the social health and economic benefits ofparticipation, and to develop quality infrastructure, opportunities and services tosupport participation. To any government this means to set up a structure of public
services through some government sports authority, local authorities, community
centers, institutes of higher learning, nature organizations, and private clubs thatcreate a fair supply of structures and programs which should lead to a steady
growth of a variety of physical activities.
Other findings suggested that social characteristics such as gender, age,
ethnicity, race, income, and wealth, which have always determined access andopportunity in the various social spheres, should not hinder access of potential

players to a comprehensive range of participation opportunities. On the contrary,
they should all be inclusive and enable participants to fulfill their capabilities andrealize their physical, social, mental, and spiritual benefits regardless of socioeconomic status, race, age or gender, ability and geographical location. The
requirements for anyone to have the benefits of SFA tend to be the following:
lifelong participation, enjoyment, diversity and choice of participation, continual
improvement in the delivery of programs. Since participation also contributes to thehealth and general well being of the community, participants are encouraged toengage in 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.
It is then possible to observe four great challenges in the last 30 years
covered by the SFA book: (1) to convince sedentary people that being physically
active will not only bring pleasure and enjoyment to their lives but also make themfeel fitter and healthier; (2) to encourage people to introduce themselves to sports,
which they have never tried before, with the hope that this involvement or
exposure might lead them to continuing participation, reducing social andpsychological barriers; (3) to integrate sport, recreation, and health strategies, and(4) to assist the disadvantaged in gaining access to sport facilities and to help themfinance their ongoing involvement.
We would rather say, joining the authors from the book, that Sport for All "is an umbrella term for recreation, sport development, mass participation programs
and cultural recreation activities aiming to provide leisure opportunities and healthpromotion to their adherents” (Goslin & Bush, 2002). Today SFA refers to any kindof sport practiced without the pressures of top sport, which is usually represented
by athletes dealing with measured performances and accepted rules. It is a newconception that goes back to the old tradition of facilitating the access of people togames and physical activities. It has been a response to the crying need not only
for more opportunities of leisure but also for the creation of means to promotehealth. It is exactly in the area of health promotion that lies the core meaning of
SFA today, ratified by the contributions of the five continents included in the 800page volume of the "Worldwide Experiences and Trends in Sport for All" firstedition.
Taking the reports and analysis of the book, it is possible to observe veryclearly the continuous expansion of SFA at local, regional and national levels.
Geography and the location of the different areas of the many countries thatparticipated in this comparative study played a crucial role in determining thedirections of recreational activities and sports. From the Australian Beach culture to
the war situation in Mozambique, it is possible to find diverse recreational activities
that bring satisfaction and pleasure to participants. SFA is becoming a visible

means of promotion favoring traditional sports and games, practiced locally, as
opposed to top sport, which presupposes limitations and difficult access of the
population as a whole.
The expression Sport for All (SFA) has been frequently used to designate acollection of different activities, but its essence is still being experienced anddeveloped all around the world. If we focus on selected countries as a means ofapproaching the book highlights, Australia is the first appropriate choice. In thisnation, sports have always existed, provided for diversity, accessibility andinformality as well as competition and elite performance, building on a SFA
culture. It has created a multi-dimension sporting framework that provides anenormous variety of physical activity experiences. Some of these experiences
require a degree of preparation and expensive equipment, but others need few
resources and little planning, and provide for all types of people and abilities.
People can also play at their own level, either competitively or socially. The activity
can be structured and team-centered, or unorganized or solitary. It may bephysically demanding, or alternatively low impact and gentle. Elite sport is just oneof a number of active recreational possibilities. SFA embraces all these different
possibilities by focusing on physical activity in all its forms.
SFA in Malaysia wants to involve the whole population in sports, leisure andrecreational activities. It aims at SFA in cultural diversity: raising the national
fitness in order to increase economic growth, improving the quality of life anddecrease social ills, and this way fostering national unity among the different races
that populate the country.
The idea called ‘lifelong sport’ was proposed by the Japanese government toencourage people to adopt exercise and sport activities, and generally to enhance a
healthy lifestyle. SFA in lifelong perspectives of health and fitness took into
consideration the Japanese culture and lifestyle of the people who practice selfdiscipline and process-orientation, encouraging every person, no matter what theirage or level of physical ability, to enjoy participating in sport and physical activities
throughout their life. A variety of phrases for promoting sports for the general
population have been used such as: trim, lifetime physical education, lifelong
sports, community physical education, health and fitness, physical recreation andso on.
In Israel, because the people have always placed intellectual activity first,
SFA has come up as history, culture and society once its objectives are (i) toincrease the standard level of public awareness of the need for physical activity byshowing the problems caused by lack of activity; (ii) to raise the rate of activity bypromoting an increase in physical activity during leisure time, and (iii) to encourage
the improvement of individual physical fitness levels.
In Korea, the various roles of SFA in society reflect the characteristics ofthe Korean people. Perhaps the first main role that SFA played in Korea was to help
the Korean people gain the independence from Japan. Other aims of SFA could be
to promote the health of the population, aid them to gain or lose weight, make iteasier for them to achieve personal satisfaction, manage their stress, develop theirsocial skills and make friends. Determining the most important aim depends upon
the social and cultural characteristics of the individuals and groups of individuals ofthat cultural group.

The level of participation is influenced by the social andcultural factors as well. In other words, the social and cultural circumstances haveinfluences on the aim of Sport for All, the participation level, the choice of eventsand the participation frequency. The ratio of average working hours to spare time
has a major influence on the level of participation and the disposable income of anindividual has a big influence on the choice of events. The impact of SFA on thepeople and on society is closely related to the social and cultural environment. In
other words, SFA itself cannot change either the society or the people.
People’s Republic of China, as one of the most ancient civilized countries,
has a long and glorious sport history. Its various folk sports are well known, andhave become most popular “sports for all” among the Chinese people if a current
western conception of sporting and leisure activities is taken primarily here. The
development of SFA in China is presupposed and determined by people’s social
needs and aspirations.

It started out as folk sport, and then it became mass

sport, controlled by administrative decree and by the government. After that it
evolved into SFA, which might mean social inclusion. The objectives to develop
sport in China were to improve people’s health and strengthen the whole nation:
people were called on to develop physical education and sport in order to promote
their health.
Besides placing great emphasis on developing elite sports with a view topursue excellency and athletes’ own and national glory in the international sports
competitions, the Olympic Movement in Taiwan has been playing its mostimportant role as a support to SFA helping to promote people’s good health andphysical fitness. The Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee (CTOP) has been placing
equal emphasis on Sport for All in its role as a National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The general objectives of the Committee are to promote Sport for All, to develop
the Olympic spirit, and to strengthen the friendly relationship between thisCommittee and the International Olympic Committee as well as sport organizations
both at home and abroad.

In Singapore, the meaning of SFA is concentrated on the promotion ofhealthy, vigorous exercise for the whole population.

Based on this directive, theSingapore Sports Council (SSC) formulated the SFA policy, to provide ample
opportunities for Singaporeans to participate actively in both recreational andcompetitive sports and physical activities. The policy can be best represented by
the pyramid model, which aims to produce a broad base of people participating insports of their own choice for the purpose of enjoyment, exercise and health. From
this base, those with talent are encouraged to commit themselves to higher levelsof competition and achievement. Its main objective is to promote greater and moreregular participation in sports and physical activities among Singaporeans,particularly senior citizens, housewives and working adults. Singapore is marching
towards a sporting nation with SFA.
Since 1994, cultural differences, ethnic uniqueness and cultural pride havebeen key performance indicators of all social initiatives. The cultural fabric of South
Africa is very complex, as it is a rainbow conglomeration of eleven official
languages and a plethora of cultures. All cultural groups have traditional games andtribal dances as part of their unique cultural heritage. Within so much diversity andwithin an atmosphere of democratic respect for the various sporting activities, SFA
has now been playing the crucial role as getting the nation to play.
Due to the cultural and linguistic diversity in Mozambique, and in spite of the
scarcity of resources, it is possible to observe that there is a wide range of traditional
sports and games. As spontaneous and popular practices, such cultural identity
manifestations are visible in all the nation's regions, on any occasion, and arepracticed by anyone, including children in their daily routine. There are also specificgames from certain regions linked to traditional and religious rituals, and restricted tocertain ethnic groups, or still restricted to the gender of the participants. In spite ofsome encouraging results of recent years, SFA is far from being considered a stablesocial accomplishment in Mozambique. Actually, SFA has been on trial in this country
under poverty and war conditions prevailing in the last three decades.

SFA went from a way of life to a matter of choice in Bulgaria’s recent
history. The country saw changes, from general calls for mass participation to sport asa means of enhancing fitness, based on the initiative of each citizen.

Despite theprimacy of quantitative concerns most of the programs had sound research grounding
and the results achieved were very informative for Sport for All’s development. These
unfortunately did not have a great bearing on the decision making process because of
the utilitarian justification of sport policy. It saw sport chiefly as a contributor tohealth, enhancing work productivity and the defense capability of the state, and left

beyond serious consideration issues concerning the quality of participation - duration,
intensity, frequency and settings.

SFA in Poland is addressed to all target groups across the lifecycle. It isconsidered as physical culture and social value. The fundamental strategic aim ofphysical culture is to arrest the negative tendencies in the biological development ofchildren and the youth, to prevent civilization diseases that have a direct connection
with insufficient physical activity, and to arrest the decrease in physical fitness andstamina in the regions and groups most at risk. Therefore, the strategic plan provides
for the action to create the social awareness that physical activity is the main elementof a healthy lifestyle, assigning social value to the practice of sporting activities.
The primary objective of any SFA program is to get as many people aspossible involved in physical activities. Most people who take up a sport activity
have embraced a SFA philosophy. That is, they have made their experiences
casual, unstructured, and by implication often low cost and inclusive. This
increasing preference for small scale, informal, uncompetitive, time compressed
activities is the result of two factors. The first factor is the changing lifestyles ofmany people. SFA model focuses on community participation, casual and informal
engagement in sport, and a preference for those activities that do not require
extensive preparation or costly infrastructure. The second factor is clearly the
impact of the whole SFA message, which seductively tells us that physical activity inour daily lives is not only fun, but it is good for our psychological and physicalhealth.
Overall, the interpretations of Pierre Seurin on SFA claims and directions arestill valid today coherently with FIEP updated principles and recommendations.
After all, in his 1979 book(page 45) he paraphrased the French philosopher

Bergson when suggesting that trends must be more taken into account than stateof affairs.

References - Chapters of DaCosta, L. & Miragaya, A. (eds). (2002).
Worldwide Experiences and Trends in Sport for All. Aachen, Meyer & Meyer
Sport:

Chang, J. (2002). Korea: The Various Roles of Sport for All in Society, pp.133-173.
Girginov, V. & Bankov, P. (2002). Bulgaria: Sport for All from a Way of Life to a
Matter of
Choice, pp. 239-259.

Goslin, A. & Bush, A. (2002). South Africa: Sport for All as “Getting the Nation toPlay", 209-225.
Ikeda, M., Yamaguchi, Y. & Chogahara, M. (2002). Japan: Sport for All in Lifelong
Perspectives of Health and Fitness, pp. 89-107.
Ribeiro, E. & Prista, A. (2002). Mozambique: Sport for All under Poverty and War
Conditions, pp. 227-236.
Ruskin, H. (2002). Israel: Sport for All as History, Culture and Society, pp. 109132.
Singh, S. & Khoo, S. (2002). Malaysia: Sport for All in Cultural Diversity, pp. 75-88.
Stewart, B. & Nicholson, M. (2002). Australia: Building on a Sport for All Culture,
pp. 35-73.
Ta-Chou Huang, T. (2002). Taiwan: The Olympic Movement as a Support to Sport
for All, 185-191.
Wangmei, Zhongyi, Y. & Jinqiang, Z. (2002). People’s Republic of China: Folk
Sport, Mass
Sport, Sport for All, 175-183.
Wolanska, T., Jolanta, S., Jung, R., Mikolajczak, Z., Pastwa, M., & Jolanta, Z.
(2002). Poland: Sport for All as Physical Culture and Social Value, pp. 261291.
Yan, S. (2002). Singapore: Towards a Sporting Nation with Sport for All, 193-205.