Themes

The ASEAN Leaders’ Vision Statement on a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN: Rising Above Challenges and Sustaining Growth (Ha Noi, June 2020) highlights the need for ASEAN to continue promoting a sense of belonging in the ASEAN Community. Increasing awareness of our shared values through people-to-people exchanges will foster this regional identity.

Sports have always played an integral role in the lives of the people of ASEAN—whether as a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle, develop and enhance one’s physical and psychomotor skills, or perform at an elite level. Sports have also created a platform for healthy competition and for strengthening bonds among ASEAN athletes, athlete support personnel, and other sports stakeholders through formal sports events, such as the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, ASEAN Para Games, ASEAN University Games, and ASEAN Schools Sports Competitions. Beyond these competitions, ASEAN Member States have also hosted major sports events both at the Asian regional and international levels.

If you want to see how far women’s football has progressed in the last few years, you need to look no further than the ASEAN region, where Viet Nam and the Philippines have made history by qualifying for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023—the first time that either will play at a senior men’s or women’s FIFA World Cup. Thailand, who played at the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, could join them by qualifying via an interzonal playoff in February.

Attending sports matches and activities is a socio-cultural tradition in ASEAN. Therefore, it is essential that no segment of the population is excluded from these events on the basis of their disabilities. The increasing interest of ASEAN Member States to host major sports events has also made it necessary to ensure the accessibility and inclusivity of sports venues to all spectators.

Physical activity undertaken through travel, work, and leisure has significant mental and physical health benefits. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), people who are insufficiently active are at a higher risk of death by 20-30 per cent compared to those who are active. Active adults are those with 150+ minutes of moderate-intensity equivalent activity per week and youth with at least 60+ minutes of moderate-intensity equivalent activity per day.

A workshop to improve the quality of physical education and promote sports for people with disabilities takes of.