Sport for Development and Peace can only achieve optimal results when the strategy involves education and dialogue, says Alvin Ma, 21, a Correspondent from Toronto, Canada. Youth need to engage in sports and to discover their own ability to influence society. Canadian Paralympian Rick Hansen, an outspoken activist who set up a research foundation for …

"Sport is only a supplement to education" Read More »

Multiculturalism in Canadian and American cities has an impact on the physical education and health of students, writes Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada. But in some cases schools are missing opportunities to make use of multicultural resources in the community. “Jimmy, you must study harder…not just hockey all the time!” During the …

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The first goal in sports is having fun, writes Alvin Ma, 21, a Commonwealth Correspondent from  Canada. But how well recreation centres make newcomers – and those from other cultures – welcome has a big impact on participation. “It’s fun to stay at the Y-M-C-A” goes the refrain of the famous Village People disco song. …

"Drop-in ball hockey and participation at the YMCA" Read More »

Asif Reza Akash recently wrote about FIFA World Cup fandom in Bangladesh. Here, Alvin Ma, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Canada, offers a complement to those experiences with a perspective from halfway around the world in Toronto, Canada. Whereas Bangladeshi people are watching FIFA World Cup matches at 10 pm, 1 am, and 4 am; Toronto …

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World Cup 2014 brought fans all the expected thrills of the beautiful game, but for Ryan Bachoo, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad and Tobago, one thrill was the scope of online coverage of the event. Now that the World Cup is over, it’s back to life as usual for football fans. It’s been a …

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The CYSDP are looking for young people active and passionate in the field of sport for development and peace to join their working group In May 2013 the Commonwealth Secretariat supported the establishment of the Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Working Group (CYSDP). With a mission ‘to be the leading and driving voice …

Call for new members: Commonwealth Youth Sport for Development and Peace Read More »

Cricket is a unifying sport in the Caribbean, writes Ryan Bachoo, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Trinidad and Tobago, but he argues that the league needs administrative attention to improve the quality of play. Caribbean and cricket go hand in hand. It is, without a doubt, the single unifying factor in the West Indies region, bringing …

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The sporting world has its eyes on the Africa Cup of Nations, writes Alphonse Akouyu, 20, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bamenda in Cameroon, as he offers an assessment of this year’s contenders. The drum beats of Africa’s premier football jamboree have for a while now been the headline story for most sports editors and journalists …

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Cricket sanctions have hurt fans in Pakistan, writes Zainab Shamim Potrick, 23, a Correspondent from Karachi in Pakistan, who argues for a return of sportsmanship and international support for the national sport. The Pakistani nation, surrounded by bomb attacks and mobile snatching, considers cricket as its religion. It gives them hope and happiness in their terrible …

“Cricket comes home to fans in Pakistan” Read More »