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Any time is Sports Time: Online Campaign in Response to COVID-19 crisis
More than 1 400 000 people participated in IDSDP2020 online campaign in Kazakhstan
In this day and age sports and physical recreations play a critical role in our daily lives From our childhood to today we have involved to play sports and game constantly We always hear and keep attention to the latest updates from all major sports teams whether it is professional or anything else Sports bring us athleticism and competitiveness but more importantly sports is a recognized instrument for promoting peace as it disregards both geographical borders and social classes
With the outbreak of the COVID19 the global sports calendar has been shifted dramatically such as the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games At the individual level the COVID19 pandemic led to the closure of gyms stadiums pools dance and fitness studios physiotherapy centres parks and playgrounds Under such circumstances there are concerns that lack of access to regular physical activities and sports may pose challenges to both physical and mental health of people In light of these issues the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office in cooperation with the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan launched an online information campaign within the framework of the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace to support peoples wellbeing in times of anxiety crisis and fear
The campaign implemented six interactive activities online attracting more than 14 million people of which interactive games on social media played a proactive role For example as part of the campaign the interactive basketball game in the Instagram live stories has ignited peoples interest to experiment fail and try again in sports game until they succeed
Any time is Sports Time
© UNESCO
In addition to the interactive sports game the UNESCO Almaty Office has also implemented a BeActive indoor physical challenge In this regard people were invited to join this challenge by making videos of themselves displaying their creativity in any sporting activity of their choice
© UNESCO
Apart from the campaign the UNESCO Almaty Office also designed a series of interactive learning cards on physical activity following the recommendations of WHO and also targeting the Sustainable Development Goals SDG and Kazan Action Plan in promotion of cooperation on sports for development and peace
© UNESCO
Although the COVID19 outbreak has affected people globally in a sudden manner sports has shown that it can help individuals and societies to mitigate the negative impact of the crisis on their lives through mechanisms that help increase a general sense of wellbeing
