Sportconference 2005

[b]Brief account of the International Conference ‘Sports and Urban Development’[/b]

Fun, enthusiasm and energy are the driving forces of sports and games, which may play an important part in urban development.

Pedro Velazquez, Deputy Head of the Sports Unit, Directorate General for Education and Culture, described in broad outline the possibilities for a European sports policy. Because the European Constitution was rejected, the plans for a European sports policy have been mothballed. However, Europe may still be able to contribute to the sports policy in a number of ways. By intensifying political collaboration with Member States, for example. Other possibilities include the building of networks and strengthening dialogue with stakeholders and increasingly mainstreaming sports into other EU programmes and policies. These are just some of the starting points that were highlighted during the European Year of Sports 2004. Subjects that are dealt with during the coming period are Fight against Doping in Sport, Sports and Health, Sports and Education / Training, the Social Function of Sports, Volunteering in Sports, and the Economic Dimension of Sports.

Sports and games can make a town more exciting, more beautiful, and more liveable if it is designed with sports and games in mind. Winy Maas, architect with firm of architects MVRDV, created a number of magic examples of accommodations built like a grandstand; stacked sports fields connected to high-rise buildings with arched bridges; a complete Olympic village right in the centre of Madrid; a beach in the Olympic village of New York; a floating soccer stadium in the River Maas… In other words, so much more can be done with sports and space than is being done at the moment. These are creative alternatives to sports stadiums surrounded by hideous stretched-out parking lots.

Joining in is more important than winning – an expression which is also true for the landing of the Olympic Games. Sports are a catalyst – as becomes obvious from looking at Olympic cities. New York entered the race for the Olympic Games 2012 and did not win, but gained in other ways. Roy Bahat, Director of Strategy of the Olympic Games New York 2012, told us that important results were booked on various fronts, which were vital for his city. For example, a development plan for the port area of New York was finally realised – an area that had been undeveloped for nearly twenty years. This plan was directly related to the Olympic Games. And other plans, not directly related to the Games were realised as well. For example, a long-awaited Council of the 220 Nations, living in New York, was finally set up. And this council still exists. The city of Athens used the Olympic Games 2004 to have new roads and an underground system constructed in and around the town, have thousands of trees planted, and convert archaeological sites into museological areas. Here, also, sports were used as a catalyst. 
Next subject in the discussions involved the question whether the Olympic Games could possible come to the Netherlands.

In the afternoon, parallel sessions about Sport & City Marketing; Local Sports Participation & Urban Diversity; Good Practices of Local Sports Policies; Impact of Major Sport Events on the City; Olympic Games and the City (Economy), and INTA SportUrban Policy Forum. Maarten van Bottenburg gave a speech about European sports participation. Critical pieces were also included, such as Nanne Boonstra’s contribution concerning the capability of recreational sports to help Dutch migrants to integrate, with a focus on Rotterdam. Although on the face of it, recreation and sports seem to be able to create worthwhile cultural spin-off effects, in practice ethnic differences appear to be reinforced rather than bridged. The ways in sports may affect urban development become clear from examples such as Cologne, Bangkok and Utrecht. The effects of large sporting events upon a city’s economy and identity often depend upon small differences. For example, the later a soccer match is played during a world tournament, the more attention will be created around it. A number of authors indicated that the local identity can be influenced by sports such as skating, sporting events, and sports locations. 
The afternoon was filled by visiting a great number of Rotterdam sports locations, including the Skatepark, the Zuiderpark, the fitness rooms at David Lloyd Leisure, and the Orange Court in Crooswijk. These visits demonstrated they way in which sports are integrated in Rotterdam society and the Rotterdam urban development.

On Friday, Fred Coalter, of the University of Stirling in Scotland, voiced his doubts about the many roles and functions placed on sports, including sports as a means of integration. Sports are no more than a policy executor, rather than a policy maker. Sports fulfil a different role, and should be judged accordingly. Its accountability no longer concerns which persons are involved in which sports how often, but what its contribution is to integration, economic developments, etc. In his opinion, there is hardly any hard evidence that these relationships exist at all. Also, it is very difficult to investigate such relationships, because ‘sports’ is a very complex concept, and ‘social integration’, ‘economic development’, ‘urban development’, etc. are as well. Therefore, the possibilities to account for these are limited. And while discussing these matters, question is how much of the actual sports themselves will survive. The government may start to wonder whether they should continue to support clubs who are only involved in sports as such? It is doubtful whether these would be good developments for sports in general. In addition, the research budget for sports is very low, especially if you compare it to the research budgets for other sectors, such as the health industry.
This connection between sports and urban development was the most important subject for discussions of the INTA. INTA is an international organisation involved in urban development. A part of it is the ‘Sport Urban’ project. This project, which is subsidised by the European Union, involves 24 organisations, mostly cities, who are investigating the effects of sports and leisure on a city in order to use these items more effectively. 
Maria Bobenrieth, of NIKE, demonstrated with unequalled enthusiasm how zoning of playgrounds may make certain spots more attractive for use by children. Some places could be designated for children interested in quiet activities, while others could be used by children involved in wilder activities. In addition, such a change of designation, including the necessary facelifts, will have a positive effect upon the social climate in the neighbourhood.

During the parallel sessions, authors from Belgium, France and the UK criticised the supposedly positive influence of the construction of sports stadiums on the local communities. ‘Youth in action’ can be filled in in different ways. This was demonstrated by contributions from Sweden, Belgium and Canada. Especially the contribution from Canada proved interesting, because it showed a pedagogical perspective that was broadened from physical exercise to include care for others, care for the environment, etc. Contributions from Egypt, Japan and the UK involved the revitalising power sports have for cities. A remarkable detail was that in Japan, also, the sports club is seen as the centre of the local community. Some critical notes were sounded concerning the London Olympic Games in 2012 and the effects of the Olympic Games in Athens. The influence of sports on the local identity was demonstrated by a study about the takeover of Manchester United by American businessman Malcolm Glazer and a study by the Erasmus University into the influence of sports on the identity of Rotterdam, and also from papers concerning sports and racism.

Finally, Johann Olav Koss, the well-known Norwegian skater and General Manager of Right to Play, shared some things about his programme. Every child must have the right to play in his own direct environment. The preconditions for this right are different in developed areas to those in developing countries. But in nearly all urban areas, children are often placed at the bottom of the list. Still, sports has a real fascination for children. He told about the ways child soldiers collaborate by agreeing upon rules of the game. For them, this was a first step towards resocialisation. 
On behalf of the city of Rotterdam, the congress was concluded by Hans den Oudendammer, who once again thanked the outstanding chairman-of-the-day Berend Rubingh. The congress was visited by 170 participants from over 20 countries.

Brief account of the International Conference 'Sports and Urban Development'
Photo's international Conference Rotterdam 10-11 November