Sport for Development and Peace Initiatives with Indigenous People: A systematic scoping review from international perspectives

Background: This review explores Sport for Development and Peace (SFD/SDP) initiatives involving Indigenous people (IP), with the aim of providing a comprehensive analysis of the research landscape from an international perspective. IP, marginalized due to the on-going implications of colonization and ensuing structural inequalities, are increasingly engaging or being engaged in SFD/SDP programs to foster health, education, cultural preservation, and social cohesion. Methods: A systematic-scoping review using PRISMA-ScR guidelines was used to identify academic works encompassing SFD/SDP and IP published since 2000. After applying strict inclusion criteria in more than seven languages, including Indigenous languages, covering multiple geographic regions, such as Oceania, Europe, and the Americas, 37 references were identified through database searches in Scopus, SportDiscus, ERIC, SocINDEX, and Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest) and Google Scholar. Experts from the field were consulted, gray literature was explored, mapping field and authors with R and the quality of studies was assessed. Results: Findings highlight a wide range of program structures and outcomes. Prominent themes include alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (notably 3, 4, 10, and 16), decolonization and cultural resurgence, health and well-being, and sport as a tool of resistance against systemic inequality. Challenges such as limited funding, logistical constraints, and political tensions remain significant. A critical insight is the necessity for culturally sensitive, community-led approaches that integrate Indigenous worldviews and knowledge systems. Programs centred on Indigenous practices show more sustainable and meaningful impact. Despite a growing body of research, most studies originate from English-speaking contexts—primarily Canada and Australia—indicating a need for greater linguistic and cultural inclusivity. Conclusion: This review offers actionable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and scholars. It calls for participatory, sustainable approaches rooted in Indigenous contexts and urges future studies to adopt Indigenous-centred or mixed-methods designs, especially longitudinal work to assess long-term outcomes. Overall, this review underscores the importance of Indigenous centred, or culturally adaptive, community-led SFD/SDP initiatives for fostering meaningful development and reconciliation in IP and communities globally. This paper also recommends that academics undertaking scoping reviews where IP are the topic of interest, move critically and cautiously with any frameworks they apply.