Sport-for-development: from UNESCO's universal language to application. Case study of French NGOs

The aim of this study was to compare UNESCO's international recommendations at world conferences on sport and education held over the past 40 years with NGO action in the field. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, the article highlights the emergence of a universal language for sport, based on a cultural and conceptual intermix, which defines major goals established on a set of beliefs. By studying two active French associations in this field, Secours Populaire Francais and Play International, it likewise demonstrates how confrontation with the different realities contributes to the development of approaches, at times in opposition to major principles, which are aimed at making sport a means to meet social challenges by making it accessible.