From 31 October to 2 November, I will have the great honour of welcoming more than 700 actors for peace in Sochi, host city of the next Olympic Winter Games. This is the very first time that the Peace and Sport International Forum has been held abroad and it is not without emotion that I witness this new stage beginning, further expanding the influence of sport at the service of sustainable peace in the world.
Together, we will share, build, and maintain our conviction that this is the best possible fight: one that brings together the leading thinkers of the peace through sport movement. This 6th edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum proves that our ambition to advance the peace process is not only intact but grows from day to day, as more and more influential players become aware and become involved.
In the run-up to this unique event in Sochi, in this issue of the newsletter we have an interview with one of our prestigious moderators. On the ground, we are delighted to see our field programs maturing: we have seen the achievements of ‘Beisbol por la Paz‘ in Colombia, proving that sport indeed acts as a catalyst for peace in volatile communities.
The Friendship Games that were launched in 2009 have also proved a success, and we report on the 3rd edition held in the great lakes region of Africa, as well as the expansion of ‘Badminton Ba Dame’ into three countries.
What is true for inter-community and cross-border relations can also be true for diplomatic relations and major global issues. The UN-initiated International Day of Peace on 21st September is an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared day. Sport is a perfect tool to integrate into these actions and it is more than ever a connection and an element of stability in our changing world and can be used to promote sustainable peace because it channels violence, providing one universal set of rules adhered to by all.
Peace and Sport is delighted to announce that over 200 youth centres and clubs associated with our partner National Federations all over the world are mobilized to organize some outstanding initiatives on 21st September, which we look forward to covering in future editions of this newsletter.
Happy reading!
Sportingly yours,
Joël Bouzou,
President and Founder of Peace and Sport
President of the World Olympians Association (WOA)
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport and President of the World Olympians Association, was interviewed on the BBC during the London Olympics 2012 and shares his vision of the symbolic table tennis match between North Korea and South Korea – two countries with a long history of conflict.
Provisional programme released!
The 6th Peace and Sport International Forum will spark lively debates in four plenary sessions, three workshops and a special event which examines a controversial subject so far little-discussed.
The first plenary session looks back over the past five years to observe how sport has been an effective catalyst for peace. Session 2 considers how the private sector can do more to benefit society through cooperation with charity groups and other partners, whilst session 3 examines how to persuade governments to think about sport as an investment, not a cost. The final session will discuss the increasing role of sport in building sustainable peace and will create a roadmap for the next decade.
Alongside the plenary sessions, three workshops will tackle issues of ethnic diversity, social media and volunteering in sport.
We look forward to seeing you in Sochi!
The 3rd Friendship Games in Burundi
In July, Peace and Sport co-organised an event to promote the values of friendship and fraternity offered by sport with the Gihanga Youth Centre in Burundi managed by Guy Emmanuel GIRUKWISHAKA.
More than 250 youngsters aged 9 to 15 from communities on all sides of the border between Burundi, DRC and Rwanda, participated in the 10 different sports disciplines offered by the Friendship Games. Once again, sport demonstrated its ability to help people understand each other, communicate and coexist peacefully.
We warmly thank MONUSCO (United Nations Mission for the stabilization of the Democratic Republic of Congo) and the UNDP as well as the entire sports movement in the Great Lakes Region for their support in organizing these inspiring Games.
Badminton Ba Dame launched in East Timor
Our “Badminton for Peace” program in collaboration with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) keeps on growing. Already implemented in Colombia, the program will soon start in displaced persons camps in Haiti.
In June the program was launched in East Timor under the leadership of the Timorese Badminton Federation, benefiting over 400 young people from volatile districts in the capital, Dili. 10 years after the country’s independence, violence between neighbourhoods still happens on a regular basis and the program aims to help social integration of marginal kids and improve cross-neighbourhood interaction around the values of sport.
Equipment, training sessions and funding are provided by the program's generous partners: Badminton World Federation, Badminton Asia Confederation, and Yonex.
Francisco Da Conceicao, President of the Timorese Badminton Federation explains: “Despite lack of resources, through this project we are able to teach Badminton and its values to kids from poor communities [….] helping peace in our young country.”
“Beisbol por la Paz” pilot project is a proven success in Colombia
Nearly one year after “Beisbol por la Paz” was launched by the Colombian Baseball Federation in association with GIP (Grupo Internacional de Paz) the IBAF and Peace and Sport, the first results confirm the impact that sport can have on communities in crisis.
According to GIP, violence has significantly decreased in the communities involved in the pilot project– by as much as 20% in just a few months. These encouraging initial results have helped the Colombian Baseball Federation to attract more partners, providing the necessary resources to reach more vulnerable teenagers and also making new partnerships with youth centres and clubs possible in the most dangerous parts of the country.
Congratulations! A great example of what sport can achieve!
An Interview with Maro Engel (Rally Driver, Germany), Kaveh Mehrabi (Olympian, Badminton, Iran) and Sylvia Poll (Olympic Champion, Swimming, Costa-Rica), our Champions for Peace who formed a relay team in the TriStar triathlon in Monaco
How do you see your role as a Champion for Peace?
M.E: First of all I think Peace and Sport spreads a very powerful message which we have the opportunity to carry and extend across the globe. I try to keep this firmly in mind and participate in various events supporting and promoting peace through sport with exactly this spirit.
K .M: I believe it is a responsibility that comes with what I have achieved as an athlete and Olympian. I am a strong believer in giving back to society and there is no better way than doing it through sport. It is an absolute honour for me to be a Champion for Peace among so many very high profile athletes from all over the world who have committed ourselves to the same goal.
SP: I see my role as a Champion for Peace as a very important one. I feel very blessed because of my involvement in sport as a competitive swimmer and I believe in the responsibility to “give back”. I am also a firm believer that sport can be an excellent tool for social inclusion, peace and the promotion of human rights and values. If my presence and image can help in any way to promote this vision, I am very happy to do so.
Was this the first time you participated as part of a Champion for Peace team in this kind of event?
M.E: Yes it was the first time I have participated in a peace and sport team event. The spirit within our team was absolutely phenomenal and a great example of how sport can promote peace.
K.M: I was part of the first Team Peace and Sport at the New York Marathon in 2011 and I took part in the 2012 Monaco run with Peace and Sport. But every time I am more and more excited and feel honoured be a part of Peace and Sport teams. It gives me a lot of energy to share this experience with many other great athletes.
S.P: Yes, it was the first time that I was part of a Champion for Peace team and it was a great honour and pleasure. I think using Champions for Peace to participate in international sport events is an effective way to create more awareness about the Peace and Sport organization and the issues it promotes.
What would be the craziest thing that you would do to raise awareness about peace-building through sport?
M.E: Race my car naked, if it were not forbidden and maybe a little too dangerous as well!
K.M: I like to break walls, bring down barriers and push the limits, so you can be sure I will try to shatter certain people’s limitations (appropriately and respectfully) with the goal of peace-promotion through sport.
S.P: I am a little bashful, so I would not suggest it for myself, but it would be interesting to get a Champion for Peace to participate in a celebrity television show, maybe something for charity.
Interview with David Eades,
moderator at the Peace and Sport International Forum in Sochi
What was your first involvement with Peace and Sport?
DE: I first met the Peace and Sport team in Monaco thanks to the Head of Communication who wanted to introduce me to the work Peace and Sport were doing, and to help in considering the best ways to present the organisation on a public level and a broader platform.
What did you get from your experience last year at the Forum? DE: It helped me to realize the scope and the level of participation already of different projects in seeking to bring peace and social stability and security to many parts of the world. It also helped me appreciate there is a vibrant debate taking place as to the best ways of helping. The Forum was also an excellent way of meeting more key players in the field of sport and peace.
What will be your role at the Forum this year? DE: I will be moderating one of the panel sessions, to consider peace and sport in the decade to come.
What do you expect from the Forum in Sochi? DE: I expect another full debate of many of the key issues surrounding peace and sport initiatives and challenges. I also expect to gauge the level of progress achieved thus far. Sochi represents an important development for Peace and Sport too. By spreading its wings beyond Monaco for the first time, it seems to me to point to a greater internationalization of the organization.
The International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, is observed annually on 21 September. It is dedicated to peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access. The day was first celebrated in 1981, and is kept by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples.
Peace and Sport
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