The Education Commission of the Asian Traditional Sports and Games Association (ATSGA) is established in alignment with the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). The Commission is dedicated to integrating traditional sports, indigenous games, and related knowledge systems into education, research, and capacity-building frameworks, recognizing them as living intangible cultural heritage.
Traditional sports and games embody oral traditions, social practices, rituals,
craftsmanship, values, and community knowledge transmitted across
generations. The Education Commission works to ensure their systematic documentation, transmission,
safeguarding, and respectful promotion through education.
UNESCO–ICH Aligned Objectives
In accordance with UNESCO ICH principles, the
Education Commission aims to:
·
Promote education
as a key safeguarding measure for traditional sports and games
·
Support intergenerational
transmission of knowledge, skills, and cultural values
·
Encourage community-based
learning, with practitioners and tradition bearers as educators
·
Integrate traditional sports and games into formal, non-formal, and lifelong education
systems
·
Respect cultural
diversity, authenticity, and local context in all educational
initiatives
Key Functions
·
Development of ICH-sensitive curricula, syllabi, and educational resources
·
Promotion of research, documentation, and academic studies on
traditional sports and games
·
Organization of workshops, seminars, teacher-training programs, and academic
conferences
·
Support for master–apprentice and community-based transmission models
·
Collaboration with UNESCO-related bodies, educational institutions, cultural
organizations, and governments
Safeguarding & Ethical Approach
The Education Commission follows a community-centered and rights-respecting
safeguarding approach, ensuring that educational activities do not distort, over-standardize, or
commercialize traditional practices. Emphasis is placed on learning, transmission, respect, and
sustainability, in line with UNESCO ICH guidelines.
Vision
The Education Commission envisions an Asia
where traditional sports and games are
recognized and practiced as valuable educational heritage,
contributing to cultural continuity,
inclusive education, identity formation, and sustainable development.
Through alignment with UNESCO’s Intangible
Cultural Heritage framework, the Commission seeks to ensure that Asia’s
traditional sports and games remain living,
respected, and transmitted through education to future generations.
