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In recent years sport has received more attention in international development fora. Various actors have come forward and made claims for the positive potential of sport to make significant contributions to development interventions. Amongst others sport is said to facilitate processes of empowerment and democratisation in communities and societies. This book takes a critical look at these claims. It explores important aspects which need to be considered when designing sport programmes that are meant to empower and to democratise. Its point of entry is the concrete case of a Zambian community based sports organisation. The case demonstrates how power issues influence people´s opportunities to take part in decision-making and to experience democracy and empowerment through their participation in sports. The analysis shows how participatory methodologies applied in sport can make sport truly unfold its democratising and empowering potential. This book should be useful for professionals as well as students and academics concerned with the linkages between empowerment and sport in development work.

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Peter Legat, MSc Sports Science: Specialised in sport sociology and sport management at Norwegian School of Sports Sciences. Experience as sport for development practitioner in Zambia. Currently training officer at FK Norway, Oslo.

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