Paper short abstract:

This paper draws on analysis of the potential contribution of sport to the 2030 Agenda to interrogate the extent to which the aspirations, implementation and measurement of the Sustainable Development Goals may be ‘integrated and indivisible’ in practice.

Paper long abstract:

The 2030 Agenda asserts the 'integrated and indivisible' nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In doing so, it draws upon longstanding conceptions of sustainable development that emphasise the need for balance across economic, social and environmental dimensions. However, the aspiration and possibilities of integrated, indivisible and balanced development need renewed critical appraisal in respect of specific aspirations and frameworks set out in the 2030 Agenda. Sport can provide a valuable analytic lens for this purpose, not only given the status accorded to it as an 'important enabler of sustainable development', but especially because of the various intersections between sport and a significant number of the SDGs. Analysis presented in this paper encompasses three dimensions by which the 'integrated and indivisible' assertion can be interrogated. First, attention is given to how sport could feasibly contribute to different SDGs. Existing evidence points to the possibilities for proactive use of sport to address some development objectives, but also to longstanding problems and contradictions within sport that may hinder its impact. Second, analysis of the potential 'means of implementation' raises issues regarding the need for and likelihood of integrated contributions across a wide and diverse range of stakeholders, both within and beyond sport. Third, the extent to which integrated and indivisible measurement of progress is feasible within the frameworks provided by the 2030 Agenda will be considered. Conclusions drawn across these three dimensions will have relevance to broader debates with regard to the 2030 Agenda as well as those concerned with sport specifically.