Commonwealth Sport Declaration on Reconciliation and Partnership with Indigenous Peoples

Sport is an ideal learning ground for life’s essential skills, and especially for young people. Sport is universal. Occasionally, sport is the opportunity that saves peoples’ lives. Participating in and having access to sport is a right that belongs to every person and this declaration affirms and progresses those rights for Indigenous Peoples who are strong and resilient people connected to their lands and cultures. Through a spirit of openness, truthfulness, peace, reconciliation, collaboration and partnership - and in accordance with Article 2 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples - the parties to this declaration commit to engage in a process of developing the path forward; respecting, protecting and promoting the rights and opportunities of Indigenous Peoples through sport – and in particular the legacy planning and delivery of Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Sport events. In drafting this Declaration, the representatives of Indigenous communities reaffirm their right of self-determination, reminding all stakeholders of their roles and responsibilities, including under international law, regarding the holistic wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples.

Approved by members by acclamation at the CGF General Assembly in Singapore on 15 November 2023.

Commonwealth Sport Declaration on Reconciliation and Partnership with Indigenous Peoples - Certificate of Acknowledgement

10 Calls to Action

Queen’s Athletics & Recreation is committed to advancing the 10 Calls to Action outlined in the Commonwealth Sport Declaration on Reconciliation and Partnership with Indigenous Peoples. These calls provide a framework for promoting Indigenous wellbeing through sport, strengthening relationships with Indigenous communities, celebrating Indigenous cultures and achievements, and creating more inclusive and accessible sporting opportunities. Through these commitments, Queen’s A&R aims to support meaningful progress toward reconciliation and lasting partnerships with Indigenous Peoples.

This Call asks Signatories to work on promoting the benefits of sport and physical activity across all aspects of health, including physical, cultural, spiritual, and mental wellbeing, alongside with the development of transferrable life skills.

This Call highlights the importance of working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders, to develop inclusive sport policies and programs that support meaningful structural change, in order to make Indigenous participation sustainable long-term.

This Call emphasizes investing in Indigenous-led sports development. By integrating Indigenous knowledge in coaching styles, we increase Indigenous representation in the realm of sports, which ultimately makes the sports environment more inclusive to young Indigenous athletes and allies.

This Call acknowledges the need for expanding sports literature research about Indigenous Peoples and asks to apply reconciliation strategies, such as traditional games, to the sports world.

This Call specifically emphasizes integrating Indigenous perspectives on physical activity into school settings through Indigenous-led approaches, to help recognize and celebrate Indigenous traditions.

Ensure Indigenous Peoples are equal partners in the bidding, planning, and delivery and legacy of sport events
Host sporting events in Indigenous Communities, and ensure those events create positive social, economic, and environmental impacts for Indigenous host communities.
Celebrate Indigenous athletes, cultures, languages and history
Recognize, celebrate and respect Indigenous Peoples’ territory and protocols
Encourage Indigenous youth attendance at sporting events
Include traditional Indigenous sports into sport programmes, and stage regional and national level Indigenous Games in the most culturally appropriate way.
This Call emphasizes ensuring that Indigenous Peoples are meaningfully involved in all aspects of sporting events, from planning and decision-making to delivery. It also highlights the importance of hosting events in Indigenous communities, creating positive community impacts, celebrating Indigenous cultures and athletes, respecting Indigenous territories and protocols, encouraging youth participation, and hosting traditional Indigenous sports and games.

This Call emphasizes creating opportunities for Indigenous athletes and coaches to progress beyond the initial participation and to pursue high-performance sport and coaching at advanced levels.

This Call asks to raise awareness of Indigenous athletes' and coaches' achievements to provide positive role models for Indigenous youth.

This Call reminds us to strengthen and build relationships to improve collaboration between organizations already involved in Indigenous sport.

This Call emphasizes the need to establish ways to track, evaluate, and report progress toward fulfilling the Declaration’s commitments.

Further Reading

Sport as a path to reconciliation (Oct. 21, 2026) - Queen's Gazette