Can sport include people? Risks and chances

This paper aims at contributing to the reflection on sport
regarded as a potential tool for the development of community bonds and
social inclusion. First of all the variety of existing experiences in the field are
outlined. What stands out is a wealth of initiatives and projects, but the use of
sport often appears to be scanty and frequently there is incoherence between
declared aims and taken actions. Aim of the contribution is adding to the
debate on the theme, highlighting certain theoretical and methodological focal
aspects that should be considered in order to provide the real potential of
sport as a tool for social inclusion and community development. To this purpose,
a specific experience will be taken into account (an experience carried out in
the township of Manenberg in Cape Town –South Africa–) re-reading it in the
light of such focal aspects , highlighting theoretical and methodological
assumptions, dilemmas and open questions that investigate the researcher on
the subject.