WHY SHOULD YOU CARE ABOUT THE LINK BETWEEN SPORTS, AS AN INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE AND GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE HEALTH DEVELOPMENT (UN SDG3)?

Анотація

Introduction. The truth is I did not care until the global pandemic and fake news in the media MADE me care! Why? Because UN SDGs are vital to the survival of human life, indeed all lives, on the Anthropocene. What better time to research this as when the whole planet was locked down by one virus? This is a working paper using a subset of the data from a larger longitudinal study. The purpose of this paper was to investigate key questions around the transmission of Sports as a major domain of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).

Aim of the study. The study shed light on the “spontaneous and extemporary” way High Performance Sports/eSports ICH-creators transmit to its global community and in an unscripted and unprompted way, included in their transmission process contents that enriched the trust-building aspects of Sustainable strategic health development (SDG3). I isolated and studied this phenomenon by collecting data at an eSports Field configuring event (FCE), studying my subjects who were the highest-ranking world champions of their generation.

Material and methods. Through an abductive qualitative analysis of “living culture” at a major FCE, studying the theories of a “living culture”-transmission (ICH) in the field, a paradoxical framework inquisites the unscripted trust-building commentaries regarding the health services provided at large sports venues, during ICH-creators’ Live global broadcast.

Results. The initial findings are based on field data collected at high-level e-sports FCE event (World Chess championship 2020). My ICH-transmission framework cross-validated in practice, the implications that ICH like Sports/eSports have ties with UN SDG3 in strategic trans-disciplinary way.
Conclusions. This research address theoretical assumptions around “tangibility/intangibility” of cultural manifestations. This will contribute long-term to the study of paradox in creative ICH-transmissions. In the short-term, the knowledge improves UN SDG Index-metrics for Sustainable Health (SDG3). My research 

challenges assumptions around the requirement of material manifestation of an ICH e.g., a tangible sport played intangibly as an e-sport can still transmit important wellbeing narratives in unscripted and vibrant ICH manifestations.

When critically examined the ICH-transmission process of an eSport contributed to sustainable health promotion agenda by disarming polarity (conflict) caused by viral anti-vax disinformation campaigns; potentially steering the fearful towards an SDG-centric wellbeing mind-frame amidst an uncertainty of Sports and eSports event in the middle of a global health crisis.

Key words: Sustainability, Sports, eSports, Arts, Culture, Cultural Heritage, Tangible Intangible, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Climate & Health Crisis, UN SDG Development Strategies, New Media Disinformation.