Using sports to unite and develop the coming generation.
Palestine Sports for Life (PS4L) bi-weekly holds safe spaces for children and youth to play sports. Within the sessions, PS4L professional life skills and sport trainers teach youth about human rights, health, and various sustainable development goals. On April 6th, PS4L Coach Yumon Masri directed a ‘Football and Child Right’ session for her students in Tulkarem (a city in Palestine). Within the session, Coach Yumon discussed the importance of attaining child rights in Palestine and highlighted the rights of all children as an informative session. The students discussed openly on what they define as child rights and formed a list of “Child Rights” which included safe upbringing, freedom of expression, and protection from violence. It was a needed session that connected sports to understanding all aspects of child rights. Throughout the session, Coach Yumon taught various life skills such as teamwork and interpersonal skills as a continued effort to develop their public speaking skills and confidence.
Among the students in the session were fellow ‘Sports for Life’ girl’s team players. Supported by The National Bank in Palestine, PS4L girl’s team will participate in the Street Child World Cup, which will be held in Qatar, Doha, in 2022. Sports for Life team will represent Palestine for the first time alongside 12 other international teams coming from India, Brazil, Bangladesh, Darfur, Bolivia, Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Zimbabwe, and the United States. This tournament will highlight the importance of youth education, and provide a global platform for youths to discuss issues they face while also enjoying the game of football. This is the first time the State of Palestine has been selected to participate in such a notable and change-driven event.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Technical Council of Diplomacy and Sports Cooperation held two events to commemorate the international day for development and peace.
A soccer tournament in collaboration with the Qatar Embassy in México where 13 diplomatic representations from Romania, Kazakhstan, USA, El Salvador, European Union, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Peru, Canada, United Kingdom, Turkey and Qatar with the objective to promote solidarity, peace and give a message of fraternity among all the participants.
The presentation of the chapter “Diversity in wrestling” of the miniseries “Unmasking wrestling” in collaboration with the World Wrestling Council and the UNESCO Representation in Mexico. This presentation was made during a live wrestling performance in which representatives of the three institutions launched messages promoting sport for development and peace before hundreds of fans who raised white cards in support and commitment to the initiative.
Gala Lutteroth, Cultural Liaison Director of the World Wrestling Council thanked this opportunity to talk for the inclusion in sports, where there have been a lot of women who have Exalted Mexican wrestling all over the world while they are also supportive in their families. She spoke also for the LGBBTTQ community which has brought not only new wrestlers but also great human beings, athletes and joy to the ring and have given a new perspective for respect and freedom to the CMLL.
Erik Del Angel, Executive coordinator of the Technical Council of Diplomacy and Sports Cooperation accentuate on inclusive Societies and a more egalitarian, equitable and inclusive sport. He also said that it is inevitable to talk about the need for peace in different conflicts in the world where great initiatives, figures, associations, committees, and leagues appear but there are also small ones like the fans that manifest their willing to peace by having no Altercations within wrestling events
Finally Mr. Vacheron representative of UNESCO in Mexico said that according to a major Lancet study, more than 41% of physical activity was decreased in the first few months of lockdown. HE reminded us that Sport within COVID-19 pandemic is fundamental to people’s psychological well-being. The decrease in physical activity is, therefore, a health problem, including mental health, of the utmost importance, which is even more worrying because today it mainly affects young people.
He also mentioned that UNESCO at the global level works closely with the International Olympic Committee and UN Women, with whom they have founded the World Observatory on Women, Sport, Physical Education and Physical Activity, whose mission is to better detect the obstacles that continue to hinder women’s access to sport.
He celebrated the promotion of sport for all people which is also the challenge of the first phase of UNESCO’s “Fit for Life” initiative, which will measure the impact of sport and physical culture on the Sustainable Development Goals. This work will serve as a basis for a global reflection on the integration of sport into public policies, not only in the fields of sport, but also in those of health, education and youth. In this sense, we are working with Foreign Affairs and the Mexican Olympic Committee, to implement Fit for life in Mexico.
Ball To All will make its largest delivery of soccer balls to kids who can not afford them. Ivo Mapunda will lead the event in Tanzania.
Ball To All is a non-profit (501c3) organization that was founded with a simple premise: keep kids playing – it will help them grow healthier, happier and at the same time, keep them out of trouble.
The mission is simple and captured in the slogan: Every Kid Can Have A Ball.
Ball To All and Celebrity Goalie Ivo Mapunda deliver soccer balls to kids who can not them in Tanzania. Promoting sports, equality and world peace. We are all raising a #WhiteCard in support of April6.org
Imagine kids who have nothing, and nothing to do…
Is the risk of them getting into trouble greater?
Is the risk of them feeling that “no one cares” greater?
Is the risk of them being swayed by extremism greater?
We all want “World Peace”, yet many children around the world do not have the basic means to grow up happy and joyous…
The yearly commemoration is marked by the world governing body of badminton, which joins other organisations from across the world. Now in its ninth year, the day honours sport’s good and constructive ideas, as well as its unique capacity to build a more peaceful and inclusive society.
Every year, through the #WhiteCard campaign, Peace and Sport mobilises the sports world as well as governments and civil society to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.
BWF has empowered its athletes to join in the campaign over recent years.
Through 2022’s #WhiteCard campaign, each of us can use sport as an answer to peace and thus send a message of unity and global solidarity.
To participate, take a picture of yourself holding up a white card and share it on your social networks using the hashtag #WhiteCard tagging @peaceandsport.
BWF renewed its support and commitment to Peace and Sport in 2018, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the SportAccord Convention in Bangkok.
2022’s core message is: “Securing a Sustainable and Peaceful Future for All: The Contribution of Sport,” and promotes the use of sport as a tool to advance human rights and sustainable development. It seeks to highlight and draw attention to the stories of individuals and beneficiaries who have been positively impacted by sport all around the globe.
The Swiss Badminton will host a special ‘It’s Shuttle Time For Peace’ project starting on 7 April which open up free and regular badminton training for Ukrainian children who have fled their country due to the ongoing conflict. Over a period of two weeks, the training project aims to help up to 40% of Ukrainian refugees under 18-years-old that are now based in Switzerland.
Following training, Swiss Badminton will organise a ‘It’s Shuttle Time For Peace’ tournament on 30 April for those on the project, supporting the notion of using sport to positively impact those across the globe. We will bring you updates on the project when we can.
BWF Chair – Development & Sport For All Committee, David Cabello said: “April 6 is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace and this is an activity that we tied in as a contribution from badminton.
“We wanted to continue the BWF CSR project this year as part of our April 6 activities but unfortunately, we have had to postpone that due to COVID-19.
“The Swiss Badminton has gone above and beyond to ensure the core message of using sport to secure a peaceful future for all. This echoes BWF’s values.
“Badminton provides a really simple introduction to sport, and because it can be played everywhere, indoors and outdoors, we see it as a great way to create opportunities for children, from all backgrounds.”
On display the five new Tokyo 2020 Olympic sports seen through the lens of young photographers under 35.
Over 100 photographers from 37 countries have participated in the 5th edition of this international contest.
The photographs of the finalists of the 5th edition of Run for Art, the international contest for young photographers under 35 that combines art and sport, conceived by the Giulio Onesti Foundation, reach the International Mugham Center in Baku, where they will be exhibited from 6 to 16 April. The exhibition, curated by the Olympian Novella Calligaris, a member of the executive board of the Onesti Foundation, is organized in partnership with the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on its 30th anniversary and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Italy and Azerbaijan.
On display are 40 photographs on the subject “The five new Olympic sports. The contemporary challenge to ability and disability“. The photographs focus on the evolving concept of sport for the young generations as well as on the introduction of new sports trends at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (baseball and softball, karate, skateboarding, sport climbing, surfing), exploring also their Paralympic declinations.
As in a real sports competition, among the hundreds of participating photographs, only 40 were selected as finalists for the competition. To decree the winners, a jury of excellence chaired by Ivo Ferriani (IOC executive member and President of the IBSF – International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation) and that includes leading personalities from all fields involved: from art to sport, from institutions to the media.
The young talents the winners of the edition are: Tetsu Chih-Ching Lee (Taiwan), who with his picture tells the importance of softball in his country; Gökhan Taner (Turkey), who portrays the Japanese karateka Hikaru Ohno starting her performance; Max Dunlap (United States), who photographs Aaron Fotheringham, the most accomplished and renowned WCMX athlete, an adapted version of skateboarding, at Venice Beach during an event organized by the Life Rolls On Foundation; Julia Cassou (France), who captures a climber on a waterfall of tuff; Rhys Bates (Australia), who takes us inside the barrel on a tropical island in the Maldives together with surfer Nikolas Plytas.
The exhibition will be opened in the presence of Mrs. Claudia Giordani, a member of the executive board of the Giulio Onesti Foundation and Vice-President of the Italian National Olympic Committee, Mr. Claudio Taffuri, Ambassador of Italy to Baku, Mr. Chingiz Husseynzada, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee of Azerbaijan, and Mr. Anar Karimov, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan. A digital version of the exhibition, enriched with critical texts and classical music, directed by Lorenzo Porzio, orchestra director and Olympic bronze medalist in rowing, is available at runforart.com. The contest and the exhibition are supported by IOC Olympic Solidarity and the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo (ICS), a founding member of the Giulio Onesti Foundation.
The Giulio Onesti Foundation – Italian National Olympic Academy is a not-for-profit organization for the promotion of the culture and values of sport, whose activities address primarily young generations. The Foundation is named after Giulio Onesti, former President of the Italian National Olympic Committee (1946-1978), a key figure in sports history, both nationally and internationally.
*The jury includes: Azer Aliyev (Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan), Mariia Bulatova (Vice-president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and member of the IOC Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission), Luciano Di Blasio (Junior Officer at Mission of Canada to the European Union), Pia Johnson (Lecturer and Program Manager of the Master of Photography at RMIT University Australia, photographer, and visual artist), Rafael Maranhao (Public Relations Senior Manager at IPC – International Paralympic Committee), Gianni Merlo (President of AIPS – International Sports Press Association), Gordwin Odhiambo (photojournalist and documentary photographer), Priscilla Rattazzi (world-famous photographer) and Conrad Yu (Photo manager of Sportsoho Magazine Hong Kong and sports photographer).
Neeraj Chopra is an Indian javelin thrower born in 1997. During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Neeraj won the gold medal by reaching a distance of 87.58m, a victory that will go down in Indian history.
In an interview with a newspaper, Neraaj explained that he had to hurry up for one of his throws as he had to ask his fellow Pakistani, Arshad Nadeem, for his javelin. A video of the moment went viral on the internet and triggered a lot of virulent comments. Neraaj then shared a video of himself on Twitter to calm the situation and put the video in context. He also expressed his opposition to certain messages that used his comments as a propaganda tool in the tensions between Pakistan and India and he wanted to promote sport for its unifying values.
Story:
“Sport is a great tool that allows us to go beyond social, ethnic and religious differences. Sport teaches us to be together and united. That’s why it should not be used to propagate political ideologies.”
Recent Comments