GENERAL OVERVIEW

The Sustained Insight and Impact Initiative (SII) is a programme fully led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and implemented with the support of Sport Impact. It builds on the legacy of the Impact 2024 International Programme, initially carried out in the context of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

SII aims to ensure the long-term sustainability and scaling of high-impact sport-for-development initiatives across Africa. The initiative strengthens organisations that use sport as a lever for social inclusion, youth empowerment, gender equality, and sustainable development, through continued financial support and targeted capacity building.

Fully aligned with the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy, SII supports the creation of peaceful, inclusive, and resilient societies while reinforcing local ownership, innovation, and long-term impact within African sport-for-development ecosystems.

ELIGIBILITY FRAMEWORK

Eligible Organisations

The initiative focuses on organisations that are established actors within the African sport-for-development ecosystem and demonstrate strong governance, implementation capacity, and accountability. Eligible organisations come from previous laureates of the Impact 2024 International Programme, selected based on compliance, demonstrated impact, and potential for sustainable scale.

These organisations are expected to demonstrate the ability to sustain and expand their initiatives beyond external funding cycles, provide at least 50% co-financing of long-term project costs, leverage strong local partnerships, and contribute to sector-wide learning through the sharing of best practices.

Eligible Projects

Projects eligible under SII must be implemented in Africa. They must show a decreasing dependency on grants through co-investment, revenue-generating initiatives, and diversified partnership strategies. They must also align with the priority areas of Olympism365, namely safeguarding, gender equality, diversity and inclusion, accessibility, climate action, environmental sustainability, and participatory governance. Project implementation periods may not exceed 18 months.

OVERVIEW OF SUPPORTED INITIATIVES

The SII portfolio brings together initiatives operating in multiple regions across Africa and addressing a wide range of social challenges through sport. Disciplines represented include football, boxing, basketball, sailing, circus, capoeira, and multisport approaches.

Collectively, these initiatives contribute to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a strong focus on health, education, gender equality, decent work, reduced inequalities, climate action, peace, and partnerships. The primary target groups include children, youth, girls and young women, refugees, and other vulnerable or marginalised populations. Activities combine sport with education, health promotion, employability, peacebuilding, and environmental engagement.

KEY FIGURES

• The initiative supports ten high-impact projects across Africa
• The total funding envelope amounts to USD 450,000
• Project durations range between 12 and 18 months
• A strong co-financing requirement reinforces sustainability and local ownership
• Projects reflect a multi-sport and cross-sectoral approach, capturing the diversity of African sport-for-development contexts.

IMPLEMENTING AND INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS

Sport Impact

Sport Impact is a pan-African consulting agency that accelerates sport-for-development programmes by providing capacity building, fund management, impact measurement, and strategic advisory services. As the implementing partner of SII, Sport Impact oversees programme delivery, coordination with supported organisations, and institutional capacity strengthening to ensure sustainable and measurable impact.

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

The IOC fully leads and funds the Sustained Insight and Impact Initiative. This engagement forms part of the IOC’s long-term commitment to using sport as a driver of positive social change. Through Olympism365, the IOC promotes initiatives advancing safeguarding, gender equality, inclusion, environmental sustainability, and peace.

Through SII, the IOC extends the legacy of its previous engagements, including the Impact 2024 International Programme, and strengthens its investment in sustainable, values-driven sport-for-development programmes across Africa.