Bengaluru, Aug 28: Sportz Village Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Sportz Village, India’s sports education organisation, convened the #SportForChange Roundtable in Bengaluru under the theme “Truly Grassroots Global – Building a Global Coalition for India’s #SportForChange Movement.” Organised with ISCA as knowledge partner and The International Platform on Sport and Development as the global communications partner, the roundtable brought together global and Indian voices to discuss how grassroots sport can address youth physical inactivity and drive development outcomes for children.
The gathering saw participation from Mr. Mogens Kirkeby, President, ISCA, and Mr. Parminder Gill, Co-founder & Head of Foundation, Sportz Village, along with dignitaries and representatives from India’s corporate, state and development sectors.
The roundtable focused on establishing actionable ways for state, CSR leaders, foundations and sports organisations to collaborate on building sustainable, accessible sports ecosystems at the grassroots level. One important area of discussion was moving beyond medals as the primary measure of sporting success – while medal-focused programs remain valuable through dedicated interventions, participants noted that grassroots sport‘s greatest impact comes at scale, through developmental outcomes in health, education and inclusion for children. This carries added urgency given the physical inactivity crisis affecting young people worldwide: movement through sport was discussed as a global solution available to communities everywhere, with India’s young population offering a significant opportunity for scale and impact.
A key part of the event was the launch of the ‘Girls in Sport‘ campaign, a joint initiative between Sportz Village Foundation and ISCA to advance gender equity and expand opportunities for girls to participate in sport across India. The campaign has set a vision of engaging over one million girls in sport over the next five years.
Discussions also focused on exchanging global knowledge and best practices in grassroots and community sport, and on how international approaches can be adapted to India’s local context.
Mr. Parminder Gill, Co-founder & Head of Foundation, Sportz Village said,
“Medals are an important measure of sporting excellence, but the foundation for those achievements is built much earlier, at the grassroots level. By giving children access to quality physical education, exposure to different sports and the right opportunities to develop their potential, we can create a stronger pipeline of athletes while also ensuring that sport contributes to their overall development. With India’s young population, expanding these opportunities, particularly for girls, can help build a more inclusive and sustainable sporting ecosystem.”
Mr. Mogens Kirkeby, President, ISCA (International Sport and Culture Association), said,
“Physical inactivity among young people is a global challenge, and movement through sport is one of the most accessible solutions we have. India, with its young population, is positioned to demonstrate what that looks like at scale. Bringing global experience into this conversation lets us exchange what’s working across countries and adapt it to India’s context — that kind of collaboration is how grassroots sport moves from isolated efforts to real, lasting impact.”
As India continues to expand its presence in the global Sport for Change movement, initiatives like the Sport for Change and the Girls in Sport campaign reflect a shared commitment to using sport as a tool for lasting change in children’s lives.