Sport and access to public spaces as elements that favor social development

Sport as a leisure physical activity can be seen as a tool not only for well-being, but also for social change itself. Despite widespread awareness of the benefits of regular physical activity, in Mexico more than half of the population acknowledges that they do not exercise. In this work, the objective was to describe how sports practice contributes to social development, identifying the relevance of access to public spaces suitable for it. The study was carried out in the town of San Andr & eacute;s Azumiatla, Puebla, a place that is cataloged with a high degree of marginalization and social gap. It was approached as a case study, through observation and semistructured interviews. The results show that the population expresses its openness and interest in practicing sports, perceives its benefits and recognizes the potential of strengthening social networks through sports; justifying, as well, the shortage of free time and pointing out the precariousness and lack of spaces necessary for its exercise.