Peace and Sport Awards 2020 Jury

Siya Kolisi is the first black captain of South Africa’s rugby team, the Springboks, and is a Champion for Peace since 2019. From hunger and deprivation in an Eastern Cape township to hero-worshipped World Cup-winning captain, Kolisi has become a true inspiration for his country, especially among youth. Since the world title, he encourages companies and individuals to join him in giving to the South Africans youth access to the skills they need for a successful future. In March 2020 Siya and his wife Rachel launched the Kolisi Foundation and, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, worked to provide sustainable food relief to vulnerable people in the country.

Kerrith Brown is a former Judoka and Olympian from the United Kingdom. Elected President of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF) in 2015, Brown works to promote the power of sport to break boundaries and to unite. Under Brown’s leadership, the IMMAF established the “Peace through MMA” Commission, focused on developing programmes to socially benefit young people.

Laëtitia Habchi works on the implementation of the new 100% Social Link strategic project of the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and on cross-disciplinary issues such as sport and development, cultural and creative industries, and gender equality. In this context, AFD launched Sport en Commun, a pan-African digital platform designed to facilitate transformation through sport by connecting project managers with providers that can fund their activities and support them in their implementation. This platform will focus on the role of sport in economic and social development and in youth inclusion in Africa.

Ernesto Lucena Barrero is a Colombian lawyer and former top athlete, winner of the national squash championship in 2004. He holds several responsibilities in universities and institutions such as Sergio Arboleda University and New York Law School.  He was appointed director of Coldeportes in 2018 and in 2019 he became Colombia’s first Minister of Sport, leading the creation of Mindeporte. Lucena works to make sport a tool for inclusion and social equity, contributing to coexistence, peace and prosperity in the country.

Cedric Messina is the General Director and Founder of My Coach Sport, a start-up specialized in digital sport. He also is Vice-President of the ComEX40 at the Movement of the Enterprises of France and ambassador of the French Tech network. Committed to disseminating good practices and values in sport, Messina put his expertise at the service of peace through sport, and was at the heart of the digitalization of the Peace and Sport Methodology via the “Peace and Sport x My Coach” App.

Rosa Rakotozafy is a double African champion in 100 meters hurdles and Olympian. She is the Director General of Sports of Madagascar and, in 2020, was elected as Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport (CIGEPS). As the first woman in this position Rakotozafy works to promote the role and value of sport and its relevance for public policy.

Sophia Vaharis – Tsouvelekakis is an enthusiastic entrepreneur. In 1988 she was the only female competitor in the 24-hour Chamonix rally on ice, and in 2006 she got on the podium of the Women’s 10-metre air pistol championship in Greece. She currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest collection of wine and champagne labels. Except a business woman, working as Director at Brooks Brothers Monaco, she was elected President of the Hellenic Community of Monaco in 2018, providing solidarity events for all the Greek families living in Monaco and always supporting good practices.