The best initiatives for peace through sport rewarded
at the Peace and Sport Awards 2010

Monaco, 2 December - Peace through sport is becoming a bit closer to reality each year. This happy fact was demonstrated during the Peace and Sport Awards Ceremony 2010, which this evening rewarded people and initiatives in sport having made a key contribution to social stability in the world during the previous year.

In front of 500 distinguished figures from politics, sport, the private sector and civil society who were united for the 4th Peace and Sport International Forum, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of the organization, paid tribute to six achievements that incarnate what sport can do to promote dialogue and build bridges between divided communities.

The presentation of the Grand Prix for the Peace and Sport Image of the Year (in partnership with SPORTELMonaco and GETTY IMAGES) was a striking highlight of the evening. This Award was given to Rohan Bopanna from India and Aisam Ul-Haq Qureshi from Pakistan - two tennis players who have succeeded in bringing political authorities from their respective countries closer together through their personal commitment. During several events of the ATP World Tour 2010 they appeared in warm-up gear with the slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis” to publicize their belief that friendship between India and Pakistan is possible. During the final of the US Open, the United Nations Ambassadors for both countries joined Indian and Pakistani fans in the crowd supporting both players.

When he presented the Award, Joel Bouzou, President and founder of Peace and Sport, appealed to the governments of India and Pakistan to ask them to support Rohan and Asam’s project to organize a symbolic tennis match at the Wagah border between two countries:“Sport is ready for peace.But will governments rise to this challenge?" he asked.

Five other awards were also presented at the prestigious Gala Evening:

Award for the Best Peace Project from an International Sports Federation

Two joint winners were chosen:

• IFNA (International Federation of Netball Associations) with its  'Goal' program

Using a ‘social inclusion through sport' model, Goal uses Netball as a means of empowering young women.  The program brings Netball into play when teaching everyday skills that can transform the lives of young disadvantaged girls in India, both on and off the playing field.

• FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) for its ‘Football for Hope' initiative.

Football for Hope uses the unique appeal and core values of football to contribute to programs around the world focusing on subjects as diverse as education, health, peace-building and reconciliation.

Award for the Sports Event for Peace of the Year

• Rumble in Cartagena (organized by Arcangeles)

‘Rumble In Cartagena’ was a wheelchair rugby event organized to coincide with the Summit on a Mine-Free World. It is part of the Maximus Project, designed by the Arcangeles organization to bring peace through sports in the developing world.

Award for the Sports Non-Governmental Organization of the Year

• The Peres Center for peace

The Peres Center conducts dozens of projects which foster socio-economic cooperation and cross-border, people-to-people interaction between Palestinians and Israelis in a wide range of fields. Its activities provide one of the only opportunities for Palestinians and Israelis to meet each other.

Award for the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative of the Year

• PUMA.Peace

The PUMA.Peace initiative is involved in thousands of charity football matches globally, peace-promotion documentary films, music concerts, sports equipment donations, peace awards, support from high-profile PUMA athletes peace endorsements, conflict resolution and peace education, plus massive international PR and marketing campaigns to raise awareness about the role sport plays in the peace process.

Special Jury Prize (new in 2010)

• "Out of the Ashes" by Shabash Production

“Out of the Ashes” is a film that follows the rise of the Afghan cricket team from refugee camps in Pakistan to the Cricket World Cup. In a country that frequently makes the headlines for war and terrorism, this story reflects the power of sport to unite a country.

Winners of Peace and Sport Awards were selected by a panel composed of eminent figures, invested at the highest level in activities for the promotion of peace through sport. This year’s Jury members were :

• Amir Dossal (President of the Jury), FormerExecutive Director of UNOP (UN Office for Partnerships) President of ‘Global Partnerships Forum’
• Mihir Bose, Sports journalist and writer
• Golda El-Khoury, Head of Youth, Sport and Physical Education - UNESCO
• Steve Killelea, Founder of the Institute for Economy and Peace / Co-Founder of Global Peace Index and Vision of Humanity
• Lilo Ljubisic, 5-time Paralympic champion and former member of the International Paralympic Committee Commission
• Charles Moore, Executive Director of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), Olympian and Member of the Board of Governors of the National Art Museum of Sport (NAMOS)  
• Arnaud Mourot, President of Sport sans Frontières and Managing director of Ashoka France
• Lydia Nsekera, IOC member and President of the Football Federation of Burundi
• HE Ms. Snezana Samardzic Markovic, Minister of Youth and Sport, Republic of Serbia
• Ser-Luck Teo, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and Ministry of Transport, Mayor of the Youth Olympic Games Village 2010, Republic of Singapore.

The Peace and Sport Awards were launched in 2008.

About Peace and Sport
Peace and Sport, L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport is a neutral and apolitical international initiative.
Peace and Sport puts sport and its structuring values at the heart of development projects led within communities in crisis around the world. With missions in post-conflict zones, areas of extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace.
Supported by governments, world sport governing bodies, international organizations, major international companies in the private sector and international sports champions, Peace and Sport creates synergies between various different stakeholders to carry out four types of action:

• Organizing an annual International Forum (4th edition in Monaco, 1 - 3 December 2010)
• a Resource Centre for sport and peace,
• The Peace and Sport Awards, to reward individuals and initiatives contributing to peace,
• Locally-Based Projects; concrete actions in different regions of crisis in the world.  

Today, Peace and Sport has operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, Israel-Palestine, Timor Leste, Colombia and Haiti.
Peace and Sport was founded by Joel Bouzou, current President of the organisation. Mr. Bouzou is an Olympic medallist, world champion of Modern Pentathlon and current Secretary General for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). He is also Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.