Northern Ireland and the Bahamas have expressed an interest in hosting the next two Commonwealth Youth Games.
At an event today to promote sport for development and peace, Louise Martin, President of the Commonwealth Games Federation announced that Northern Ireland and the Bahamas have expressed an interest in hosting the next two Commonwealth Youth Games.
“Sport can be an everyday enabler to achieve remarkable things,” said Mrs Martin addressing delegates at the session held on the last day of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta.
Opening the event, Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat talked about the importance of promoting gender equality and inclusiveness in sport and said that the Commonwealth Youth Games is an important global platform to celebrate the talent and potential of the next generation.
Established in 2000 by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), the Commonwealth Youth Games is an integral part of the association’s sporting movement. It provides an opportunity for young people to showcase their talent globally and engage with decision-makers on wider issues.
In his speech, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma highlighted that sport can be a catalyst for development and peace building, and has the potential to make a contribution to the global sustainable development agenda.
Commonwealth analysis has identified a number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where sport can make effective and cost-efficient contributions, including in the areas of health, education, gender equality, economic development and building peaceful and inclusive societies.
The last Commonwealth Youth Games, organised in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat, took place in Samoa this year and is the fifth since it began. The event was open to all 71 Commonwealth nations and territories and received more than 1000 athletes aged 14-18.
The Secretariat works to assist member states strengthen the link between sport, development and peace building, and to develop Sport for Development and Peace strategies and action plans. The Secretariat’s policy guidance includes publishing Commonwealth Guidelines on Advancing Development through Sport and on-going work analysing sport and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
