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Sport in Crisis: Holding the line where others step back

Newsletter June 2025
Welcome to the June update of the Sport for Development Consortium.

With conflict intensifying in regions around the world, we have little reason to believe that 2025 will bring relief. That makes the role of sport and the stories we share more vital than ever.

This month, we turn our focus to Lebanon, where war displaced over 1.2 million people and claimed more than 3,000 lives in late 2024. Our partner Right To Play responded with emergency psychosocial support through play and sport, offering children moments of safety, connection, and hope. In this edition we'll take closer look on this impact report.

This is not just their story, it’s ours too.

One we write together.
“There was a child who came to every session angry and disruptive. He wouldn’t listen, shouted over others and hit his peers. But instead of excluding him, the coach gave him responsibility, asked him to hand out materials, help set up the games. That simple shift changed everything. By the next week, he was calmer, more focused, and even helped others participate. It gave him dignity. It gave him a role. And it gave us all hope.”

— Female coach, Barja, Lebanon
Right To Play is a key partner within the Sport for Development Consortium, with deep expertise in delivering psychosocial support through sport and play. Active in crisis areas worldwide, their approach combines structured play-based interventions with local coaching networks to empower and heal children affected by conflict and displacement. 

What war takes, sport helps restore.

In the wake of the 2024 conflict in Lebanon, over 1.2 million people were displaced. Right To Play acted swiftly, delivering emergency assistance and psychosocial support through structured play and sport. Their latest evaluation report offers compelling evidence.

Key findings include:

  • Children who participated in PSS sessions showed significantly reduced aggression, improved emotional regulation, and greater cooperation with peers.
  • 95% of participants reported being better able to express their emotions after just a few sessions.
  • Coaches observed that structured play, drawing, and music became essential emotional outlets, often described by children as “the best part of their day."
These outcomes are not anecdotal,  they reflect a scalable, proven model for delivering psychosocial first aid in conflict settings. At a time when traditional services are stretched thin, sport offers an accessible, cost-effective, and culturally adaptable solution.

This report underscores a growing body of global research: when deployed with care and structure, sport is not an add-on, it is frontline support.
 

We want to hear from you!

As we grow into a platform for knowledge, impact and advocacy, we know one thing for sure: real change doesn’t happen in isolation. That’s why we want to hear from you!

👉 Join the conversation.
💬 Share your voice.
📢 Help us shape what comes next.

Follow us on LinkedIn or contact us on info@sportfordevelopmentNL.org