SayPro 2025 Speech on International Day of Sport for Development and Peace Day Event

By SayPro Chief Strategic Partnership Officer- Nancy Mdaka

Theme: “Harnessing the Power of Sport for Social Impact and Global Unity”

Good morning, distinguished guests, partners, colleagues, and champions of change.

It is with deep pride and heartfelt appreciation that I stand before you today as we celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2025 — a day that reminds us of sport’s extraordinary potential not just to entertain, but to educate, unite, and empower.

At SayPro, we believe sport is more than physical activity — it is a universal language. It transcends borders, defies differences, and builds bridges where walls once stood. Whether played on a dusty field in Soweto, a stadium in Paris, or a community center in Nairobi, sport has the power to bring people together — to ignite hope, promote inclusion, and drive sustainable development.

Today, we honor not only athletes and teams but also every young person who found purpose through sport, every community rebuilt through sporting programs, and every life changed because someone said, “Let’s play.”

As Chief Strategic Partnership Officer at SayPro, I have the privilege of witnessing how strategic collaboration transforms dreams into impact. Together with our international partners, NGOs, sports federations, and local leaders, we have embedded sport into our education, health, youth development, and peacebuilding initiatives. And the results speak volumes:

• Young girls who once faced cultural and systemic barriers now lead on the soccer pitch and in the classroom.
• Refugees and migrants, once isolated, are now teammates, friends, and leaders.
• Formerly violent communities are becoming safer through organized sport-based conflict resolution programs.

These stories are not just victories on the field — they are victories of the human spirit.

This year’s theme challenges us to go further — to make sport a cornerstone of peace, resilience, and development. And that means:

1. Investing in inclusive sports infrastructure that welcomes every race, gender, ability, and identity.
2. Strengthening partnerships that amplify our collective power to reach the furthest behind.
3. Empowering youth, especially girls and marginalized groups, to lead, coach, and shape the sporting world.
4. Embedding sport into public policy and development frameworks, so it’s not a side project — it’s a core strategy.

At SayPro, we are committing in 2025 to expand our Sport for Development Fellowship Program, build more cross-border Peace Games Initiatives, and integrate sports-based learning in rural and under-resourced schools. We know that real change happens not only in stadiums, but in the quiet corners of the world where opportunity once seemed out of reach.

Let us remember that peace is not the absence of conflict — it is the presence of justice, equity, and shared opportunity. Sport gives us the tools to build that peace. And we — as a global community — have the duty to use them.

In closing, I invite each of you to keep playing, keep partnering, and keep believing in the power of sport to change lives. Because every whistle blown, every ball passed, and every race run in unity moves us closer to the world we want to build — a world of peace, dignity, and opportunity for all.

Thank you. Let’s keep moving forward — together.