15 May 2025 – With the Olympism365 Summit fast approaching, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) shines a spotlight on Semillas, an initiative launched by the National Olympic Committee of Ecuador (COE) in collaboration with the IOC and other local partners. Semillas (Spanish for seeds) promotes sport and the Olympic values among young people in socially vulnerable communities in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador.
So far, Semillas has reached 600 children, transforming their lives and unlocking life-changing potential. This achievement has been made possible as one of the more-than 900 projects funded by the IOC’s Olympic Solidarity through its Olympic Values Programme since 2021, aiming to drive greater sports participation and enabling more people to benefit from Olympic and values-based education.
The initiative serves as a compelling example of the contribution of National Olympic Committees (NOCs), through collaborative partnerships, to advance sustainable development through sport, an aspect that will be widely covered during the Olympism365 Summit taking place from 3 to 5 June.
The power of cross-sector collaboration
Launched as a pilot in 2021 and running through to November 2024, Semillas uses a two-pronged approach. It encourages the practice of sport, including non-traditional Olympic sports, as a means to foster community inclusion and integration. By blending recreational activities with Olympic Values Education, the programme helps young people build self-esteem and healthy habits, steering them away from crime and negative influences.
Simultaneously, Semillas identifies promising athletes in these sports, promoting long-term sports engagement in vulnerable communities.
The success of the initiative, developed in partnership with Fundación Niñez Internacional (Children International’s representative in Ecuador), lies in localised cross-sector collaboration. Partners include the National Federations of handball and badminton and the Centro de Atención Municipal Integral (CAMI) in Pascuales working with the COE to deliver the programme.
Changing the lives of young people, one sports session at a time
As part of the programme, children and young people of various ages take part in morning and evening sport sessions at community centres in the city of Guayaquil.
One instructor, badminton player Andy Baque, reported the positive impact the sessions had on the children: “I have seen the children very active, they have adapted well to the sport of badminton and I hope many others will join.” This is a sentiment echoed by the families of the young participants, including one mother, Vanessa Mero. She describes how engaged the children are in the programme, learning new sports and enjoying the fun and social interactions of play: “I find the project very interesting, and you can see that the activity is fun and the kids like it.”
COE President Jorge Delgado explains the ambition behind Semillas and echoes the positive impact it is having. “There is nothing more comforting than a child’s smile. You can see the children are happy and eager to participate in Semillas. I don’t like the term scarce resources. A child who might not have economic advantages can be rich in other ways. They can play in the street, with their classmates, play sports, and do things that other children cannot do. I think these children are rich in motivation, creativity and joy. We hope to continue the project and triple the number of children we reach.”
Delivering global impact through local action
Semillas is just one example of the IOC’s ongoing work to expand access to sports facilities and education by supporting NOCs to deliver global impact programmes locally.
Another example is the Turkish Olympic Committee’s Empowering Girls Through Sport project. Supported by the IOC through the Olympic Solidarity Olympic Values Programme, the grassroots project provides year-round access to sport to girls in three of Türkiye’s disadvantaged cities, Gaziantep, Şanliurfa and Diyarbakir, which have low school attendance rates for girls, particularly after middle school, and where children’s participation in sport is low. Since the project was launched, around 1,500 girls have taken part, with 61.5 per cent improving their academic performance after taking part, and 96.7 per cent expressing a strong desire to pursue higher education.
Olympism365: the IOC’s strategy to promote sustainable development
Showcasing the impactful collaboration between NOCs and other sport and social development actors, initiatives like Semillas and Empowering Girls Through Sport build on the IOC’s Olympism365 strategy to strengthen the role of sport in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched as part of the Olympic Agenda 2020+5 reforms.
These projects are just a few of more than 550 sport and community initiatives currently supported by the IOC, which will be celebrated at the Olympism365 Summit: Sport for a Better World from 3 to 5 June, with COE representatives attending.
The invitation-only event, organised by the IOC, will see over 250 people from over 100 organisations attend in person, with additional opportunities to follow through a public livestream.
It will bring together representatives from the Olympic Movement, UN agencies, development and financing institutions, civil society and for-purpose businesses in Lausanne, Switzerland, to celebrate, champion and commit to mobilising sport as a force for good.
