After 5 days of voting, it was the Kosovo National Olympic Committee that won the highest number of votes on the Peace and Sport online platform, gaining them the “APRIL6 Initiative of the Year” Award

Every year, the Kosovo National Olympic Committee carries out innovative projects to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. By launching a #WhiteCard competition for the 7th edition of April6 in 2020, athletes, fans and sports institutions were encouraged to take creative #WhiteCard photos and videos, whilst staying at home to respect the health situation.

More than 5,000 people took up the challenge and shared their #WhiteCard in creative ways and posted strong messages of hope and solidarity. The general public also took part in the initiative by voting for their favourite photo or video on social networks. A great number of people in Kosovan society, including Olympic judo champion Majlinda Kelmendi, helped to make the 2020 online celebration of April6 a great success.

Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, said:

“Once again, the Kosovo National Olympic Committee has shown great creativity in marking the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This is a real demonstration of the unifying power of sport by mobilizing a large part of Kosovan society. I warmly congratulate them on their victory!”

Besim Hasini, President of the Kosovo National Olympic Committee, commented:

“It is an incredible honour to make such an impact on the lives of thousands, perhaps millions of people, by promoting peace and quality of life through sport. The Kosovo Olympic Committee has touched hearts, minds, inspired generations and made everyone question the status quo, even during the pandemic, by involving people living in Kosovo and all over the world. Sport has the power to change lives and, on behalf of the Olympic family and Kosovo, we thank the Peace and Sports Awards team. We feel very honoured and grateful to the jury and we bow down to voters around the globe who were inspired and who shared their support for peace through sport by voting for us. Kosovo humbly thanks you all, inspired by excellence and the prospect of a better world together! We’ve won this together! Thank you!

The “APRIL6 Initiative of the Year” rewards individuals and organizations who have contributed to the celebration of April6, the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, through a #WhiteCard initiative or by raising awareness about using sport as a tool for development and peace. The nominees for this 2020 edition were: the International Judo Federation, the Kosovo National Olympic Committee, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports in Georgia, the Palestinian NGO Sports for Life, and theState Secretariat for Youth and Sports in the Portuguese Ministry of Education.