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Badminton peace project launched in Timor-Leste |
The Badminton World Federation and Peace and Sport launch their second joint project to encourage peace and social cohesion through badminton - "BADMINTON BA DAME". |
Timor-Leste, 15 June 2012 - one year after "Badminton por la Paz" was introduced in Colombia, Peace and Sport and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) are launching "Badminton ba Dame" (Badminton for Peace in Tetum language) a new project using badminton and its values to teach peace culture to young people in Timor-Leste by facilitating dialogue and social cohesion.
The 3-year project was conceived by Peace and Sport and the BWF, in partnership with the Timorese Badminton Federation and Badminton Asia and supported by Yonex.
Badminton will be offered to young people living in poor neighbourhoods of the capital Dili to support their social integration and fight against the influence of violent gangs. The intrinsic qualities of badminton (courage, perseverance, discipline, respect for the opponent, accepting defeat) make it a sport particularly suited to give unique guidance to youngsters in Dili.
Inexpensive in terms of equipment and facilities (played indoors and outside), badminton easily adapts to all types of cultural, economic and social environments, including the most underprivileged.
"BADMINTON BA DAME" will take place in 10 youth centres, enabling over 500 children and teenagers to play twice a week under the supervision of 30 BWF-trained educators. Regular sports events will be held in the centres to foster social cohesion between hostile districts in the city which have undergone years of intense violence.
The project will be initially inaugurated in 6 youth centres in and around Dili on 15th and 17th June, and on 18 June an initiation day will bring together young people from all 10 centres involved in the program in the presence of the Secretary of State for Sport H.E. Mr. Manetelu and Mr. Kaveh Mehrabi representing the President of Peace and Sport, Mr Joël Bouzou.
Kaveh is a "Champion for Peace", a group of international athletes committed to the service of peace in the world through sport, an initiative created by Peace and Sport. The first and only West Asian professional badminton player to qualify for the Olympic Games (Beijing 2008), Kaveh is currently Chairman of the BWF Athlete’s Commission.
Peace and Sport and the BWF have run a similar project in Colombia for a year, called "BADMINTON POR LA PAZ" which has been very successful in using badminton to provide guidance to young people living in slums in Bogota and Cali and volatile areas in Guapi affected by guerrilla warfare.
PRESS CONTACTS :
Peace and Sport |
BWF – |
ABOUT BWF The Badminton World Federation (BWF) – is the international governing body for the sport of badminton recognised by the International Olympic Committee. |
ABOUT PEACE AND SPORT “Peace and Sport, L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is a neutral international initiative.Peace and Sport puts sport and its values at the heart of local development projects conducted within communities in crisis around the world. Exercising its 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 private companies and international sports champions, Peace and Sport creates synergies between different stakeholders to carry out four types of action: - Organizing an annual International Forum (next edition in Sochi, Russian Federation, 31 October - 2 November 2012 - 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, Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel-Palestine, Timor Leste, Colombia and in Haiti. Peace and Sport was founded by Joel Bouzou, current President of the organisation. Joel Bouzou is President of the World Olympians Association, former World Champion of Modern Pentathlon and current Secretary General for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). He is also an Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. |
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