IDSDP 2026: How sport is helping to build safer and more inclusive communities across Africa

These include O!YES, a programme delivered in Olympafrica centres in 23 countries, where sport helps young people build confidence, develop social skills and learn about the Olympic values; and the Ampi’zay project in Madagascar, which addresses gender-based violence and empowers young people through sport and education.

Empowering young people and inspiring inclusive communities

On a football pitch in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, 15-year-old Espoir is learning more than how to play the game. At his local Olympafrica Centre, he is taking part in the O!YES (Olympafrica Youth Empowerment through Sport) programme, an initiative by the International Olympafrica Foundation and supported by the IOC, where sport is being used to help young people build confidence, develop social skills and learn about the Olympic values.

Espoir is one of tens of thousands of young people across Africa taking part in the O!YES programme. Delivered in Olympafrica centres in 23 countries, the initiative includes various activities that combine Olympic sport (football, athletics, volleyball and basketball) and life skills education, as well as workshops focused on inclusion, gender equality and sustainability. The aim is to empower young people, strengthen their sense of belonging and help create safer and more inclusive communities through sport and the Olympic values.

In the third edition of the O!YES programme (2024-2025), a total of 96,741 participants were engaged across 29 Olympafrica centres. Assessments have shown improvements in children’s social skills and application of the Olympic values, increasing from 64 to 80 per cent, with teamwork and fair play among the skills that improved most strongly.

School director Thiérry Mbembo has seen the impact the programme has had on his students.

The project, supported through the IOC’s Olympism365 Innovation Hub and delivered by Terres en Mêlées France, Terres en Mêlées Madagascar and ENDA Madagascar, has been implemented in middle schools across the cities of Antananarivo, Toliara and Satrokala.

Through teacher training, mixed-gender rugby activities and community workshops, the project uses sport as a platform to raise awareness about gender equality and safeguarding, helping create safe and inclusive environments where students can learn, grow and challenge harmful norms. In total, almost 4,000 people have been reached through the project, including more than 3,100 children.

Teachers have already seen significant changes in students’ behaviour and confidence.

“Before the Rugby for Change sessions were implemented, one of my students had very aggressive behaviour,” says Richard, one of the teachers in the programme. “Most of the students were afraid of him, and it was very rare to see him smile. After several sessions, I saw him ask questions, interact with the other students, laugh and build relationships. He began to open up more, improve his relationships with others and adopt a more positive attitude.”

The experiences of Richard and Espoir reflect a wider impact across Africa, where sports programmes supported by the IOC are helping create safer, more inclusive communities and giving young people safe spaces to play, learn and grow.

This broader impact is also evident within the overall Olympism365 Innovation Hub, where innovators report tangible progress in strengthening and scaling their work: 94 per cent report having greater confidence to innovate, while 82 per cent have built new connections, expanded their reach and achieved deeper impact in their communities, and 65 per cent have strengthened their use of social business models and innovative technologies.

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