Ambassadors for Peace and Sport are well-known figures who are recognized for the excellence of their commitment to peace and sport in the world.
They support us in field missions and occupy a predominant place in awareness campaigns aimed at decision makers in sport and politics. They are the symbol of the joint and complementary strengths that surround our organisation.
Indeed, they act as spokespersons for Peace and Sport, and help to publicize our programs and extend our network as well as becoming involved in the implementation of projects and rallying individuals and organizations around our action.
H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco
Sir Philip Craven, MBE
Amir Dossal
Hicham El Guerrouj
H.R.H. Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
Gianni Gola
Adnan Houdrouge
Wilfried Lemke
Alain Le Roy
AS Monaco Football Club
Dr. Adolf Ogi
Mario Pescante
Mikhail Prokhorov
H.E. Pál Schmitt
Snežana Samardžić Marković
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H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco
During the seventh edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum, in November 2013, Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco became an Ambassador of the international organization Peace and Sport.
Biography
In 2000, Charlene’s team finished fifth in the swimming competition at the Olympic Games in Sydney. The same year, she won the gold medal in the 200 m backstroke at the international swimming competition Marenostrum in Monaco, presided over by H.S.H. Prince Albert II. It was at this event that she met the Prince for the first time.
In 2002, she won three gold medals during the swimming World Cup (50 m and 100 m front crawl, 4 x 100 m relay) and the silver medal during the Commonwealth Games in Manchester (4 x 100 m relay).In 2007, she stopped competing after qualifying for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
Growing up in South Africa heightened Charlene’s awareness of problems faced by children. Throughout her career she gave swimming lessons to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
On many occasions, she has accompanied the Prince on his travels to support charitable works.
H.S.H. Princess Charlene of Monaco has been involved in a number of projects in South Africa, from working with disadvantaged children to combat AIDS, to supporting environmental protection initiatives.
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Sir Philip Craven, MBE
IOC Member and President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)
Biography
Sir Philip Craven MBE is a wheelchair basketball player with an outstanding athletic career.
Winner of the Gold Medal at the World Championships in 1973 and the European Championships in 1971 and 1974, he has participated in no less than five Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball events (1972-1988) and swimming (1972).
From 1988 to 2002, Sir Philip was President of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation. He became President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) in 2001, and an IOC member in 2002, two functions that he still holds today.
In 1991 Sir Philip was decorated as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II for services to wheelchair basketball.
He also holds an Honorary Doctorate in Law from the University of Nottingham and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Staffordshire.
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Amir Dossal
Founder of The Global Partnerships Forum
Biography
Amir Dossal is Founder of the Global Partnerships Forum, a new global initiative to address economic & social challenges through innovative partnerships; He is also Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union for Global Partnerships and co-initiator of the Pearl Initiative, which promotes transparency and accountability in the Gulf Region.
Mr. Dossal joined the United Nations in 1985. Over the course of his 25-year career, he has accomplished many deeds with the common aim of uniting public and private energies for peace and social progress. By nature philanthropic and visionary, he has worked to bring the governmental milieu closer to the private sector and civil society in order to better serve the public interest.
From 2007 – 2010, Amir Dossal was Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), which he established in 2007: Within this framework, he spearheaded several key strategic alliances with governments, private companies, foundations and sponsors to contribute to Millennium Development Goals. Acting as an interface with the "UN Foundation” he has attracted investments of over $ 560 million from various donors, which have supported nearly 500 international projects for women and children’s health, climate change and biodiversity.
In 2009, Amir Dossal was a key architect of a strategic partnership between UNOP, the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) and Peace and Sport.
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Hicham El Guerrouj
Olympic Champion and member of the International Olympic Committee
Biography
Born in Berkane, Morocco, in 1974, Hicham El Guerrouj is considered one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time.
Double Olympic Champion (Athens Olympics) in the 1,500 and 5,000 metres (a previously unknown combination!) and quadruple world champion, he currently holds the world record for the 1,500m (3 min 26 S 00), for the Mile (3 min 43 S 13) and for the 2,000m (4 min 44 S 79).
This achievement earned him the decoration of “Commander of the Order of Ouissam Al Arch” by the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, in 2004.
A member of the Athletes’ Commission of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) since 2003, he was elected to the IOC in 2004, as a member of the Athletes' Commission and then a member of the Committee on Culture and Olympic Education in 2007.
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H.R.H. Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia
Member of the International Olympic committee, Vice-president of the Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia,
Vice-President for Youth Welfare in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Biography
H.R.H. Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdulaziz has a law degree from the Business School of the King Saud University in Riyadh.
He holds a number of senior positions in sports administration in his country: notably Vice-President for youth welfare for the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Vice-President of the Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia, President of the Saudi Equestrian Federation, and Vice-President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
He has published articles in journals and poetry magazines.
Elected to the IOC in 2002 as a representative of the National Olympic Committee, H.R.H. Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdul Aziz has been a member of the International Relations Commission since 2006.
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Gianni Gola
Honorary President of the International Military Sports Council
Biography
Major General Dr. Gianni Gola, 64, is a distinguished member of the Olympic and sports family. President of International Military Sports Council from 1998 to 2010, and currently Honorary President of CISM, he has been a member of the Olympic Truce Foundation since 2000 and member of the International Olympic Committee's ‘Sports for All Commission’ since 2003.
Passionate about sport and an athlete himself (he holds an Italian junior record in hammer-throw), Major General Dr. Gianni Gola got involved in CISM activities early in his military career in 1965. He has held many positions within CISM, notably Chief of the Italian Mission (1972-1995), Executive Director of the 1st Military World Games (1995), Vice-President for Europe (1996-1998), President (1998-2010) before becoming Honorary President in 2010.
He was also President of the Track & Field Italian Federation from 1989 to 2004, twice a member of the Italian National Olympic Committee Executive Board (1991-1993 and 1997-1999), a member of the Council of the European Athletics Association (1999-2003) and of the IAAF (2001-2003).
In Italy, he is currently Major General of the ‘Guardia di Finanza’, (Italian Financial Military Police Force) Commanding Officer of the Guardia di Finanza Sports Center, a group of 350 elite athletes in 12 sports.
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Adnan Houdrouge
CEO of Mercure International of Monaco
Biography
Adnan Houdrouge is a Lebanese-born businessman; an altruistic, self-made man who is also an accomplished athlete.
He is President and Founder of Mercure International of Monaco and an active member of the Economic Development Chamber in Monaco.
A passionate sports fan, Mr. Houdrouge has been Vice-President of AS Monaco Football Club.
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Wilfried Lemke
Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace
Biography
Wilfried Lemke has extensive experience in the arena of sport and politics. A former director of a professional football club in Bremen and in charge of educational policy in the same city, he was born on 19 August 1946. Mr. Lemke has a degree in Educational Science and Sports from the University of Hamburg.
As Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace, his mission consists of leading and coordinating the efforts of the United Nations system to promote understanding of sport, which is considered as a tool for development and peace by the UN. Mr. Lemke also encourages dialogue and partnerships in this sector.
He replaces Dr. Adolf Ogi, former President of the Swiss Confederation, who completed his mandate at the end of December 2007.
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Alain Le Roy
France Ambassador in Rome, former UN Under-Secretary General in charge of Peacekeeping Operations
Biography
Born in 1953, throughout his career Alain Le Roy has distinguished himself through his vision, his courage and his exceptional dedication to serve the cause of peace in the world.
After starting his career in the private sector with large French industrial groups, he became a high-ranking civil servant in 1990 and referendary counsellor at the ‘Cour des Comptes’ (French Audit Office) in 1993.
Then Mr. Le Roy brought all his talent to the international arena. In 1995 he was appointed Deputy Special Coordinator for the UN in Sarajevo. He was then sent on mission to Mauritania as part of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), followed by Kosovo from July 1999 to July 2000.
Appointed European Union Special Representative in the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, then French Ambassador to Madagascar from 2006 to 2007, in June 2008 he became Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations for the United Nations, one of the most demanding positions of the UN Organization.
During the 3 years he served in this role he exercised indisputable leadership, commanding 120,000 men in 15 missions across the globe, and he managed a remarkable number of crises, with the constant concern to preserve and consolidate the peace process and to ensure the security of civilian populations.
He was appointed as France's Ambassador in Rome in December 2011.
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AS Monaco Football Club
Presentation
Founded 23rd August 1924, AS Monaco FC has one of the best track records in French football, with seven Champion titles, five national French Cups and one League Cup. Accustomed to European competitions, ASM FC has competed in two continental finals: the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992 and the UEFA Champions League in 2004.
A true show case for the Principality of Monaco, the club is universally recognised for its philosophy of excellence of high performance, its tradition of fair play and the excellence of its training centre.
In the long-term, the club will invest in field projects implemented by Peace and Sport. These projects enable thousands of young people around the world who are victims of war, extreme poverty or lack of social cohesion, to find a structured living environment through the practice and values of sport.
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Dr. Adolf Ogi
Biography
Former President of the Swiss Confederation and member of the Executive Board of the NGO Right To Play.
After completing studies at the école supérieure de commerce in La Neuveville, Switzerland, Adolf Ogi became director of the Swiss Ski Federation and CEO of Intersport Switzerland. He was an elected representative for the canton of Bern at the Swiss National Council from 1979 to 1987.
President of the Swiss Confederation in 2000, in 2001 he was subsequently appointed as Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace.
In this role, he was the instigator of the first international Magglingen Conference on Sport and Development in 2003.
Dr. Ogi is member of the International Board of Directors of the Canadian NGO, Right To Play.
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Mario Pescante
Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee
Biography
Born in 1938, Mario Pescante began his career as a professor of Financial Science at the University of Rome Faculty of Law, before becoming a professor in sports law at LUISS University in Rome. Elected as a member of the Italian Parliament in May 2001, he was also Under Secretary of State for Sport at the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities until 2006.
Since 2008, he has held the position of President of the European Union Commission for the Italian Parliament.
A former middle-distance runner, in Italy he was the University Champion for 1,500m in 1955 and University Champion for 1,000m in 1957. He also has a long career in sports administration.
Most notably, Mr. Pescante was Chief of Mission for the Italian Olympic delegation in 4 Summer Olympics and 3 Winter Olympic Games from 1976 to 1988.
President of the Italian National Olympic Committee from 1993-1998, then President of European Olympic Committees, he has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1994, and Vice-President since 2009.
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Mikhail Prokhorov
Chairman of Onexim and President of the Russian Biathlon Union
Biography
Mikhail Prokhorov is one of the most gifted Russian businessmen of his time.
After graduating from the Moscow Finance Institute in 1989, Mikhail Prokhorov successively shaped a career in international banking, finance, and investment in natural resources, before making a name for himself in the energy production sector.
He is President and Founder of Onexim, a 25 billion USD investment fund dedicated to alternative energy sources and nanotechnologies. Onexim is one of Peace and Sport’s founding partners.
A philanthropist, in 2004 Mr. Prokhorov established a foundation for cultural initiatives designed to modernize and promote the artistic, intellectual and creative environment in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.
An avid sportsman, he became President of the International Biathlon Union in 2009 and now has plans to acquire the NBA New Jersey Nets team.
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H.E. Pál Schmitt
President of the Republic of Hungary, member of the International Olympic Committee
Biography
Born in 1942 in Budapest (Hungary), all his life Pál Schmitt has combined sport with his political convictions.
A top level fencer, he won the gold medal in team fencing in the Mexico City Summer Olympics (1968) and then at the Munich Summer Olympics (1972).
Deeply involved in global sport governance and anxious to give athletes a predominant place in the Olympic movement, he became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1983, served as President of the Hungarian National Olympic Committee from 1989 to 2010 and President of the World Olympians Association of (WOA) from 1999 to 2007.
At the same time, he entered politics in his country and became a European MP in 2004.
He was then elected as MP in his country after the victory of the Fidesz Conservative Party in the Hungarian elections in 2010. Briefly President of the National Assembly of Hungary from May to August, he was elected President of the Republic of Hungary in June 2010.
In this role, he wants to use sport "to strengthen democracy, facilitate dialogue and promote tolerance and understanding."
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Snežana Samardžić Marković
Biography
Snežana Samardžić Marković was born on 10th March 1966. She has BA in General and Serbian Literature, Faculty of Philology, University of Belgrade, graduated 1993.
She attended Leaders course at Harvard University and Course on Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution System in US Military, George C. Marshall Center, Germany. From August 2001 – August 2005, she worked as Deputy Head of Mission in the Embassy of Serbia & Montenegro in Oslo, Norway, and from September – December 2005 as deputy CEO at Directorate for neighbouring countries at Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After that, she was Assistant Minister of Defense at the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia. She was in charge of defense policy, strategic planning, international military cooperation and the Verification Center.
Since May 2007, she is the Minister of Youth and Sport of Republic of Serbia. Also, she is the president of Fund for young talents and member of Founding Board of the World anti-doping Agency (WADA). Fluently speaks and writes english and norwegian language, passive knowledge of russian language. She is married, mother of two children.