Transforming Destructive Violence into Constructive Peace: the Case Study of Sport-for-development and Peace Initiatives in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka emerges from three decades of conflict. This is a study of sport-for-development and peace (SDP) initiatives in the country. It examines the extent to which the selected cases use sport as a tool and ascertains of their contribution to peace and development in the country suffered by decades-long conflict. Main conclusion and lessons learn include: (1) it is being positioned as a development and peacebuilding goal, with a limited sense; (2) it is that nature of sport in connecting individual to the sense of community building divided by conflict. (3) it is of contributing to negative peace. (4) is of being able to building relationship, social capital and networking, (5) the belief in contribution of sport to and support of work related to conflict transformation initiatives is an ambitious effort, (6) it is of connecting nature of sport in contributing to and supporting of integrated negative peace, if strategically and resource- fully designed, (7) using sport for community development alone is not enough to sustain SDP initiatives, (8) it is moving toward conflict sensitive development and peacebuilding, (9) and, it is reflecting on what we do.