Monaco, 04 June, 2012 - the 10th edition of the SportAccord convention held in Quebec from 20 to 25 May marked the first anniversary of the partnership between SportAccord and “Peace and Sport l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport". At this significant time to evaluate their joint action, one thing is clear: their peace-building through sport programs have a made a vital social impact in the field. Peace and Sport works with International Federations to implement pilot projects designed in response to particular social issues (community reconciliation, fighting poverty or crime, gender equality, restoring social cohesion, etc.). Over the past year, several programs have been achieved: in Colombia with Gymnastics, Baseball, Ju-Jitsu and Badminton; in Burundi with Table Tennis and Netball; in Timor-Leste with athletics, and in Israel-Palestine with Chess. During the SportAccord Convention, 15 new federations expressed great interest in joining the Peace and Sport platform. With this level of motivation, new partnership agreements will soon be signed. Taking this ambitious cooperation with Federations further, in his General Assembly speech Joël Bouzou, President and founder of Peace and Sport, outlined his organization’s new challenge: making sport accessible in the most difficult areas with very limited resources. To do this, Peace and Sport has developed a pioneering concept of ‘adapted practices and materials’. Adapting a sports discipline to the reality of the field involves simplifying it, forgoing the need for sophisticated equipment. Using sports equipment made from inexpensive local resources and recycled products enables sport to be adapted to any local conditions. Biathle, created by the UIPM can consequently be practised without facilities and is easy to implement in the most remote areas. Touch rugby, created by the International Rugby Board is a great collective sport that can be played on a rapidly-assembled pitch. And athletics can also be performed on new terrains. President of Peace and Sport, Joël Bouzou explained "Sport doesn’t have to be sophisticated to be sport. With a structured environment and a set of rules which apply to everyone, you have conditions to facilitate dialogue and inspire peace. My ambition is to give International Federations a concept (adapted practices and materials) which will change the dynamic of their relations with governments and make sport an effective tool for peace."
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