- Laureus

Transcription

- Laureus

2009 ISSUE 1 www.laureus.com
FINDING INSPIRATION TO REACH THE TOP
THE
IMPORTANCE
OF ROLE
MODELS
Featuring Laureus World Sports Academy members Sebastian
Coe, Kapil Dev, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Monica Seles
+ PROJECT
VISIT EXTRA
Laureus World Sports
Academy members:
Nadia Comaneci in
Spain Sean Fitzpatrick
in Hong Kong Edwin
Moses in Israel / Palestine
and New York Hugo
Porta in South Africa
Daley Thompson
in Moldova and
many more...
Messages from the
Laureus World Sports Academy
MEMBERS OF THE LAUREUS
WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY
Giacomo Agostini
Motorcycling, Italy
Marcus Allen
American football, USA
Severiano Ballesteros
Golf, Spain
Franz Beckenbauer
Football, Germany
Boris Becker
(Vice-Chairperson)
Tennis, Germany
Peter Blake
(in fond memory)
Sailing, New Zealand
Ian Botham
Cricket, UK
Sergey Bubka
Athletics, Ukraine
Bobby Charlton
Football, UK
Sebastian Coe
Athletics, UK
Nadia Comaneci
Gymnastics, Romania/
USA
Yaping Deng
Table tennis, China
Marcel Desailly
Football, France
Kapil Dev
Cricket, India
David Douillet
Judo, France
Emerson Fittipaldi
Motor racing, Brazil
Sean Fitzpatrick
Rugby, New Zealand
Dawn Fraser
Swimming, Australia
Cathy Freeman
Athletics, Australia
Tanni Grey-Thompson
(Vice-Chairperson)
Paralympic athletics, UK
Marvelous Marvin
Hagler
Boxing, USA
Mika Häkkinen
Motor racing, Finland
Tony Hawk
Skateboarding, USA
Mike Horn
Adventurer, South Africa
Miguel Indurain
Cycling, Spain
Michael Johnson
Athletics, USA
Kip Keino
Athletics, Kenya
Franz Klammer
Skiing, Austria
Dan Marino
American football, USA
John McEnroe
Tennis, USA
Edwin Moses
(Chairperson)
Athletics, USA
Nawal El Moutawakel
Athletics, Morocco
Robby Naish
Windsurfing/
Kiteboarding, USA
Ilie Nastase
Tennis, Romania
Martina Navratilova
Tennis,
Czechoslavakia/USA
Alexey Nemov
Gymnastics, Russia
Jack Nicklaus
Golf, USA
Gary Player
Golf, South Africa
Morné du Plessis
Rugby, South Africa
Hugo Porta
Rugby, Argentina
Vivian Richards
Cricket, Antigua
Monica Seles
Tennis, USA
Bill Shoemaker
(in fond memory)
Horse racing, USA
Mark Spitz
Swimming, USA
Daley Thompson
Athletics, UK
Alberto Tomba
Skiing, Italy
Steve Waugh
Cricket, Australia
Katarina Witt
Figure skating,
Germany
BORIS BECKER
Vice-Chairperson
EDWIN MOSES
Chairman
Since its creation, Laureus has
raised €15 million for humanitarian
projects, helping to improve the lives
of more than 750,000 children.
This is a terrific achievement and
shows the scale of our endeavours.
But sometimes I feel these large
figures can hide the personal human
contact that characterises most of
Laureus’ work.
While some projects, such as the
Mathare Youth Sports Association in
Kenya, involve thousands of children,
there are many more that deal with
small groups, even individuals. This
is where peer mentoring can have a
most direct and beneficial effect. We
all need someone to look up to, and
it can be particularly effective if it is
a person from your own community
who has overcome the problems you
now face.
Laureus understands the
value of peer mentoring and
youth leadership and more of
our resources are going towards
the training of peer leaders and
coaches within target communities.
Each year in South Africa we
hold a gathering called the Role
Models Retreat at which Laureus
project leaders from around the
world come together to discuss
ideas like peer mentoring. By
sharing and implementing ideas
such as this we can offer the best
hope to disadvantaged kids around
the world.
At the age of 17, while most
kids were still in school, I was
lucky enough to be able to play
at Wimbledon and win the most
coveted trophy in tennis. I played
tennis just like you would expect a
17-year-old to play. If I could not
stretch to get to a ball, I would throw
myself across the court to reach it.
For many youngsters tennis
was a little sedate, and I think my
approach to the game appealed to
them. I have been told that I became
a role model for the younger
generation and that my success
encouraged more young players to
try tennis. If that is true, then that
makes me very happy.
It is perhaps difficult to imagine
being a role model at 17, but that is
precisely what happened to me and
what happens at so many Laureus
Sport for Good supported projects
around the world. I have visited
projects where teenagers from the
community are trained to be the
coaches and mentors of younger
boys and girls, who in due course
will themselves become the role
models for the next generation. This
simple idea can bind a community
together and deliver tremendous
benefits for individuals.
TANNI GREY-THOMPSON
Vice-Chairperson
The Paralympic Games in Beijing
in September were the first in over
20 years that I did not attend as a
competitor. I had mixed emotions,
as you can imagine. I missed the
competition, but I have always said
that I would wake up one day and
know that I would not want to do it
any more.
While I was in Beijing, I had the
pleasure of meeting HRH Prince
Feisal Al Hussein, President of the
Jordan Olympic Committee, and
signing an agreement with him
that will enable the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation and Jordan’s
Generations For Peace to work
together in the future.
Generations For Peace runs
dedicated peace programmes that
bring together leaders of youth from
the world’s divided communities
and trains them to use organised
sport to unite children and promote
social-cohesion. Their approach
complements perfectly the current
Laureus Sport for Good initiative to
put more emphasis on the training
of peer mentors and youth leaders
from the projects who can then
reach out to the children in their
communities.
I did not bring any gold medals
back from Beijing, but I hope
that this agreement will have a
positive long-term benefit for many
youngsters.
Global Partner NEWS
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Team Spirit Time
Young Sri Lankan project member wins IWC Schaffhausen/Laureus Watch drawing competition
Congratulations to KD Sriyan Chamod Dilshan, from the Seenigama Sport for Life Project
in Sri Lanka, who has been chosen as the winner of the fourth IWC Schaffhausen/
Laureus Watch drawing competition.
A total of 409 young people from ten Laureus-supported projects* around the
world entered the competition and there was a wonderful diversity of creative
and colourful pictures representing the ‘Team Spirit’ theme. Twelve-year-old
Sriyan’s drawing will be engraved on the caseback of a limited-edition IWC
Schaffhausen watch. He will receive a prize from IWC Schaffhausen and
a donation will also be made to the project which he represents.
The Seenigama Sport for Life Project was launched in response
to the social issues encountered after the Asian Tsunami and
it has been supported by Laureus since 2005. It is one of
30 programmes run by the Foundation of Goodness (www.
unconditionalcompassion.org), a Sri Lankan NGO that aims
to provide a holistic response to poverty alleviation and
community development for 20,000 people from Seenigama
and surrounding villages in southwest Sri Lanka.
Since 2006, IWC Schaffhausen has raised significant
funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation through
the sales of its limited-edition IWC Schaffhausen/Laureus
watches. The 2009 Portuguese edition promises to be no
exception. In 2009, the Foundation will take several Laureus
World Sports Academy members to visit Seenigama in order to
present Sriyan with his prize.
* Participating projects: COPAB (Uganda), Fight for Peace (UK), Sports
in Underdeveloped Areas (Uruguay), Seenigama Sport for Life (Sri
Lanka), IMAGE (India), Mathare Youth Sports Association ‘MYSA’
(Kenya), La Liga LimaKids (Peru), Luta Pela Paz (Brazil), Club
Plantense (Argentina), Future Champs (South Africa).
A total of 409 young people from ten Laureussupported projects around the world entered the
competition and there was a wonderful diversity of creative
and colourful pictures representing the ‘Team Spirit’ theme.
Above: Some of the drawings that were submitted by
children from projects in Kenya, Peru and Uruguay.
L a u r e u s S p o r t f o r G o o d Fo u n d a t i o n
NEWS Global Partner
www.laureus.com
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All Players Win
A Laureus exhibition has been opened
at Mercedes-Benz World in Berlin
The Laureus “All Players
Win” Exhibition, initiated by
Mercedes-Benz, was opened
by Laureus World Sports
Academy member Katarina
Witt and Laureus Friend
& Ambassador Wladimir
Klitschko on 28 August 2008
at Mercedes-Benz World in
Berlin.
The exhibition presents
Laureus in all its forms
and includes an Academy
portrait that was taken by the
renowned photographer Peter
Adamik, images of previous
Laureus World Sports Awards
winners and a special section
on the Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation-supported
worldwide projects.
Ice-skating legend Witt and
world boxing champion Klitschko
were impressed and they both
thanked Mercedes-Benz for the
company’s support. Berlin is the
first stage for the roadshow that
will carry the Laureus message
around the world. It will continue
its tour to all continents over the
next four years.
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
On a related note, MercedesBenz World CEO Walter Müller
handed over a contribution
cheque for more than €13,000
at the Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation Germany-supported
project “KICK im Boxring”.
Donations had been collected
from Mercedes-Benz customers
during the year.
A further Mercedes-Benz
initiative followed in October
with the launch of an image
campaign, “We are Laureus”,
to promote the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation Germany.
The focus of the campaign is
the “We” of the title, intending
to draw attention to the daily
participants of Laureus projects
and their interaction with the
famous Friends & Ambassadors
who do more than just lend their
names to the various causes:
they actively participate. In so
doing, the Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation Germany
hopes to encourage more people
to contribute time and energy to
the Laureus movement.
Top: The “All Players Win”
exhibition at Mercedes-Benz
World in Berlin. Right: Laureus
Friend & Ambassador Wladimir
Klitschko (left), Laureus World
Sports Academy member
Katarina Witt (middle) and
Mercedes-Benz World CEO
Walter Müller with the
contribution cheque.
Below: An image from the
Mercedes-Benz campaign
‘We are Laureus’ featuring
Laureus Friend & Ambassador
Axel Schulz.
Global Partner NEWS
Vodafone believes that creating a responsible
corporate strategy is vital if a business wants to
enjoy lasting success, which is why they weave
such a strategy into what they do every day.
Vodafone’s partnership with Laureus
displays its commitment to Corporate Social
Responsibility and sport, two passions that
ignite the business.
Working together, they seek to achieve
a shared goal – to support vulnerable
Laureus Foundation USA
Shooting for the stars
Hundreds of excited young hoopsters got a treat meeting with their idols in Virginia when
Richmond Midnight Basketball held their first annual fundraiser, the Urban/Suburban
Basketball Classic, in partnership with the Laureus Foundation USA. The event was hosted
by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Chairman Edwin Moses.
Participants from the Midnight Basketball League.
communities, and make a difference to people’s
lives through sport.
“Laureus and Vodafone share the same
philosophy: that sport has the power to
change the world for the better,” says Daragh
Persse, Vodafone’s Head of Global Media and
Sponsorship. “Through this partnership, we’re
involving our customers, our people, and
opinion-formers globally in becoming more
socially responsible.”
Laureus Friend & Ambassador and NBA star
John Starks and Olympic cyclist Nelson Vails
joined Moses to show Laureus’ support for this
effective community programme. Participants
had a chance to meet Vails, as well as Boston
Celtics Coach Kevin Eastman and other NBA
and Richmond basketball luminaries, including
Tony Massenburg, Gerald Henderson, Johnny
Newman and Mark Newland.
Urban/Suburban Basketball Classic
was hosted by St Christopher’s School of
Richmond, and paired youth from Richmond
Midnight Basketball programmes with St
Christopher’s students and other community
members, all of whom participated in activities
that included basketball skills drills led by
Eastman and the other professionals.
Richmond Midnight Basketball uses
the sport of basketball, paired with
life skills and educational workshops,
to inspire youth participants to make
positive decisions and live productively in
neighborhoods beset by drugs and drug
crimes. “No jump shot without a workshop”
is the rallying cry that drives the success
of this project, which has helped thousands
of children and young adults live productive
lives and has garnered the support of city
police and politicians who cite Midnight
Basketball’s efforts as a prime factor in
reducing street crime in the area.
On the Saturday evening, following the
day’s fun, over 200 guests including the
star athletes, community leaders and local
media joined Moses at a gala celebration at
the beautiful Science Museum of Virginia.
The Laureus Chairman lauded Richmond
Midnight Basketball’s effort to promote
social change through sport, and committed
to continuing Laureus’ six-year partnership.
A silent auction helped raise funds for the
project.
www.laureus.com
Vodafone
shares
the Laureus
vision
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NEWS Foundation
Action from the IWC Laureus Polo Cup held at Ham Polo Club, Richmond, Surrey.
Fundación Laureus Argentina
Striking goals
One of the best polo players in
the world, Eduardo Heguy, was
among the many stars who took
part in the highly successful
IWC Laureus Polo Cup held at
Ham Polo Club in London in
June, which raised funds for
Fundación Laureus Argentina.
The event attracted an
enthusiastic celebrity audience,
including Laureus World Sports
Academy Chairman Edwin
Moses, Vice-Chairperson Boris
Becker and Academy members
Ian Botham, Sean Fitzpatrick,
Martina Navratilova, Hugo Porta
and Daley Thompson. Celebrities
included Tim and Malin Jefferies,
Saffron Aldridge, Jodie Kidd and
Annabelle Bond.
Team Laureus were victors on
the day, beating the Julius Baer
Team 8-7 in a thrilling climax, with
Eduardo Heguy scoring the winning
goal in the last few minutes of the
game. “I am so happy that my team
won,” said Heguy after the game.
“But more importantly I feel so
lucky that I am able to help people
Reaching for the sky
A memorable meeting of two projects funded by Fundación Laureus
Argentina took place in July. Forty five teenage participants and project
leaders of the Club Deportivo Barracas from a small town on the
outskirts of Buenos Aires travelled 14 hours by bus across country to
Mendoza, where they were welcomed by representatives of the Ciudad
Oeste project.
Over the following days, the youngsters played sport, socialised and
visited regional attractions. Highlights of the memorable trip included a
football match in the Malvinas Argentinas Stadium, the most important
stadium in Mendoza, and a trip to see the Andes mountains, where the
children were able to experience snow for the first time. The club bus
transported them all the way to Puente del Inca, a feeder town to Cerro
Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas.
Diego Rivada, President of the Club Deportivo Barracas, recalls an
unforgettable moment from this part of the journey: “We were travelling
through playing polo. I would like to
thank all the players here today who
have made this event possible.”
Rugby legend Hugo Porta,
President of Fundación Laureus
Argentina, said: “This has become
a great annual event. The people
who came to Ham have not only
had a great day out, but they
have contributed to an important
humanitarian cause.”
Funds for Laureus were raised
through an auction, one item of
which was the limited-edition
IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Edition
watch. Other prizes included the
opportunity for three people to
play tennis with Boris Becker, an
amazing golf package at Loch
Lomond Scotland, and trips to
Dubai and Argentina to see worldclass sports events. Fundación
Laureus Argentina is grateful to
all sponsors and supporters, in
particular: IWC Schaffhausen
(Title Sponsor), Julius Baer (Team
Sponsor) and Official Suppliers La
Dolfina, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires,
Fairhills and Pommery.
quite high in
the mountains,
approaching the
Puente del Inca,
a place with an
extreme natural
beauty, and one
of the children in
the seat in front of
me pointed at the
Above: Participants of the Club Deportivo Barracas
clouds that looked
and Ciudad Oeste Project.
like cotton balls and
said, “Look over there, the sky is very close...”. And for me, that was the
sentence that summarised the whole trip: we visited a place where “the
sky was very close”, and we were even able to reach it for a while, and be
extremely happy.”
Foundation NEWS
member and Olympic gymnastic
legend Nadia Comaneci, going
through stretches with the young
athletes who competed in the
sixth Special Olympics National
Games in Castellón.
Fundación Laureus España
Perfect ten
Laureus World Sports Academy member and
Olympic gymnastic legend Nadia Comaneci
visited the Spanish Special Olympics project
in Madrid to congratulate young athletes
who competed in the sixth Special Olympics
National Games in Castellón.
The project, funded by Fundación
Laureus España, is an international nonprofit organisation dedicated to empowering
individuals with intellectual disabilities to
become physically fit, productive and respected
members of society through sports training
and competition.
During the event, nearly 30 athletes with
intellectual disabilities had the opportunity
to demonstrate their skill and spirit through
a variety of different gymnastics exhibitions
and a mini basketball match. Comaneci was
able to take part in the activities and gave the
youngsters some useful advice for competition.
“For me it is a great pleasure to collaborate
in these kind of projects and see how sport
helps people to overcome their every day
adversity,” she said. “I am amazed at the
hard work and sacrifice of everyone taking
part. I would give everyone involved with this
wonderful project ten out of ten.”
For the heroes
Laureus World Sports Academy member and legendary Tour de
France cyclist Miguel Induráin joined renowned Spanish tennis
player Arantxa Sánchez-Vicario and President of USP Hospitals
Gabriel Masfurroll in Barcelona in October to announce the names
of 24 recipients of grants to disability sports projects around Spain.
The event was part of the For Our Heroes programme which is supported
by Laureus. The aims of the programme are: (1) to promote sport for groups
at risk of social exclusion, (2) to let the public know the real conditions in
which these activities take place, (3) to pay tribute to those with disabilities
who improve their personal growth as well as to the people who work to
give this group of people a better quality of life, and (4) to offer assistance
to parents, friends and volunteers who work to ensure that people with
disabilities can enjoy sport. Fundación Laureus España, in co-operation
“I am amazed at the
hard work and sacrifice
of everyone taking part.
I would give everyone
involved with this wonderful
project ten out of ten.”
Comaneci, who is also Vice-Chairperson
of the Board of Directors of Special Olympics
International, became the first Olympic gymnast
to receive a perfect score of ten for a routine,
in Montreal in 1976. She won five Olympic gold
medals during her glittering career.
President of Special Olympics Spain, Gaizka
Ortúzar, summed up the day: “For the Special
Olympics athletes this has been a wonderful
affectionate moment that they will remember for
ever. Without doubt, this is a spectacular way to
round off the Special Olympics National Games,
where more than 1,500 athletes, 370 trainers
and more than 500 volunteers participated.”
with the USP Alex Foundation, a non-profit
organisation supported by USP Hospitals,
made the grants, worth more than €60,000,
to subsidise the purchase of sports
equipment, the renting of sports facilities and
the updating of sports halls to allow more
disability sport to be played. USP Hospitals is
the leading Spanish private hospital group.
The announcement was staged at the USP Above: Arantxa SánchezVicario (left) and Laureus
Instituto Universitario Dexeus of Barcelona.
World Sports Academy
The proceedings were completed with an
member Miguel Indurain.
exhibition of boccia, a Paralympic sport similar
to pétanque, played by athletes with different
levels of disabilities from the Club Esportiu Esbonat of Barcelona.
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Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation Germany
Fairway funds
Last June, the second Mercedes-Benz Mallorca Open took place on the famous
Golf de Andratx course in Mallorca, Spain, raising funds for the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation Germany.
More than 100 golfers competed, among them Chairman of the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation Germany Boris Becker and Laureus Friend & Ambassador Axel
Schulz, who played their best golf of the summer.
On accepting a cheque for the sum of €100,000, Becker said: “This donation
was made possible by the readiness and the generosity of the guests, sponsors and
partners. It will directly benefit young children who live on the edge of society, many
with little hope of a positive future. With our social projects in Stuttgart, Munich
and Berlin, we create an opportunity for some of these disadvantaged children and
adolescents to take control of their own lives. We encourage values and qualities
such as team spirit, self-confidence, respect and tolerance – things that young
people need today more then ever.”
Happy Birthday!
The 30th anniversary of the Mercedes Cup at the Stuttgarter Weissenhof was
celebrated with a memorable birthday party that raised funds for the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation Germany. Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
Germany Boris Becker, Laureus World Sports Academy members Katarina Witt and
Mika Häkkinen, tennis stars Michael Stich and Anna Kournikova were among the
guests at the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Birthday presents for the Mercedes Cup
were collected for a charity auction and then immediately auctioned.
Boris Becker assumed the role of auctioneer. Laureus World Sports Academy
member, Mika Häkkinen contributed by bidding €4,000 for the tennis racket that Anna
Kournikova used to reach the 1997 Wimbledon semi-final. In total the six main items
raised more than €40,000.
Top: Dr Olaf Göttgens hands over the cheque to the Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Germany, Boris Becker.
Above: Mika Häkkinen conducts the auction of the Formula 1 tickets donated by Mercedes-Benz together with presenter Michael Antwerpes.
Laureus Foundation The Netherlands
Going Dutch
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation has
expanded once more with the addition of the
Laureus Foundation The Netherlands to the
existing eight National Foundations already
active around the world.
Previously operating as the “Sport 4 People
Foundation” and already supporting three
projects, the new Laureus branch is chaired
by His Highness Prince Pieter-Christiaan of
Orange-Nassau.
“We are honoured and proud to become a
National Foundation,” His Highness declared.
“The agreement with Laureus will allow access
to the resources of the entire global operation
and expertise of over 65 supported projects
around the world.” Edwin Moses, Chairman of
the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, was
similarly pleased. “We are delighted to accept
the new Laureus Foundation The Netherlands to
the Laureus family,” he said. “The development
of the global foundation network is testament
to the value and importance of sport’s role in
addressing social challenges in both developed
and developing countries. I wish the organisation Above: Olav Bekker (Back row, 2nd from left) from The
the very best of luck and encouragement in their Netherlands Foundation attended the National Foundation
support of programmes in the Netherlands.”
Managers’ meeting held in Stuttgart, Germany in November.
Foundation NEWS
Fondazione Laureus Italia Onlus
Lifting bars
Together with Fondazione Vodafone,
Fondazione Laureus Italia Onlus has
completed the restructuring works of the
gymnasium inside the Beccaria Juvenile
Prison of Milan, as part of the Una Palestra
per il Beccaria project.
The aim is to give children the opportunity
to participate in the Polisportiva activities at the
end of their detention periods. In November,
Laureus World Sports Academy member
Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Laureus Friend
& Ambassador, Alessandro Troncon, a former
Italian rugby captain, visited the prison to
show their support and to give inspiration to
the young children. Hagler, along with fellow
Academy members Alberta Tomba and Marcel
Desailly also paid a visit to the Polisportiva
project in September.
Fondazione Laureus Italia is promoting and
developing three projects: Polisportiva, La
Palla Storta and Una Palestra per il Beccaria.
The projects have a common goal, which is
to improve the children’s quality of life and
to increase their self-esteem, in order to
encourage positive behaviour.
Today there are 200 children between
the ages of six and 18 participating in the
Above: Children
from the Polisportiva
course with Laureus
World Sports Academy
members Alberto Tomba
(left), Marvelous Marvin
Hagler (centre) and
Marcel Desailly (right).
Polisportiva courses.
Due to demand, the
project is planning
to expand and reach
another 200 children
in a different district
of Milan.
The La Palla Storta project has now fully
integrated the Fondazione Laureus Italia’s
Educational Method: professional coaches
work together with qualified educators and
a group of skilled psychologists following
the activities to improve the children’s
educational path.
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Association Laureus France
Third course opens
Association Laureus France was proud to support the opening of the
third Golf Educatif golf course in France.
Golf Educatif was established in 2000 by Welsh professional golfer Bill
Owens to use golf as a tool to fight social exclusion and reduce anti-social
behaviour among young people who live in one of the most deprived estates
in France. The new course is based in Marcoussis. Association Laureus
France was able to support this initiative using funds it raised at a cocktail
party at Hotel de Crillon during the Rugby World Cup 2007. In September,
Michael Tapiro, who organised the fundraising event, had the opportunity
to attend the launch of the golf course in the company of Laureus Friend &
Ambassador Christophe Guillet, former captain of the French rugby team.
Young participants of Golf
Educatif in Marcoussis.
Dive for good
In July, Laureus Friend & Ambassador
Pascal Gentil visited Maison de la Mer, a
project based on the French Riviera.
By providing outdoor physical activities for
project participants, the programme creates
an environment in which young people can
integrate, adapt and overcome their social
problems while learning the importance of
teamwork, leadership and respect.
During the summer months, the project
focused on providing scuba diving lessons
to participants from Toulon, who attended
the programme once a week. The project
was founded by free-diving world champion
Stephane Mifsud.
Above: Learning respect, leadership and
teamwork underwater.
Foundation NEWS
Trust South Africa
Grassroots rugby
Laureus has announced its support for its newest project in South Africa,
the Soweto Schools Rugby Project, donating R300,000 in the process.
Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Trust South Africa Morné
du Plessis made the announcement, with Laureus World Sports Academy member
Hugo Porta and Friends & Ambassadors Deshun Deysel, Frankie Fredericks, John
Moeti and Ernst van Dyk. “Success in life takes a lot of hard work and is never easy,”
said Du Plessis. He encouraged the youngsters to adopt former President Nelson
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Above: Children from
the Soweto Schools
Rugby Project.
Mandela’s belief that “sport has the power to change the world”, before welcoming
Hugo Porta to Soweto. “Hugo is a regular visitor to our shores and we are delighted he
joins us in South Africa. As a great rugby player, we will value the input and advice he
will afford us within the Soweto Schools Rugby Project.”
After the announcement, Soweto teams and their counterparts from Greenside,
the Pirates Rugby Club, participated in a mini rugby festival. The proceeds from the
event will be used to expand the club’s life-skills programme for children in South
Africa’s largest township.
Walk the talk
Last July, a record 50,000 South Africans put on their trainers to take part
in the annual Discovery 702 Walk the Talk event in Johannesburg, raising
significant funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Trust South
Africa in the process.
Legendary Argentinian rugby player Hugo Porta joined fellow Laureus World
Sports Academy member Morné du Plessis, Chairman of the Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation Trust South Africa, on the walk, along with Laureus Friends &
Ambassadors Deshun Deysel, Frankie Fredericks, Baby Jake Matlala, John Moeti
and Lucas Radebe.
Laureus was the official charity for this year’s event, receiving a R10 donation
for every 5km and 8km completed by competitors, depending on which event they
participated in. The more serious walkers completed up to 30km, but many enjoyed taking
part over a shorter distance. Discovery is the Country Patron of the Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation Trust in South Africa.
www.laureus.com
12
NEWS Foundation
Laureus Foundation Switzerland
Switzerland goes pop!
Swiss singing sensation Baschi has been
inducted as a Friend & Ambassador of
Laureus Foundation Switzerland.
Though an unusual addition due to
a background in pop music rather than
sport, Baschi is an avid football fan, having
represented his local club, FC Gelterkinden, as
a child and recognising the positive impact of
sport and exercise. His first official act in his
new role was a visit to the Blindspot project in
Saas Grund, a rock-climbing camp for partially
Supertramp encourages
guests to “give a little
bit”
National and international sporting
greats gathered in Zurich in October
for the Second Laureus Charity Night
staged by the Laureus Foundation
Switzerland. Among the 300
guests, were Laureus World Sports
Academy Chairman Edwin Moses,
sighted, blind and sighted young people. He
was joined by former Downhill Skiing Champion
and new President of the Swiss Foundation Urs
Lehmann.
“I really enjoyed feeling the enthusiasm of
the young people and being with them for this
sporting experience,” said Baschi, a native of
Basel. “I am looking forward to the new task. I
am conscious of the fact I lead a privileged life,
but that also means you have to think about
other people and I would therefore like to make
a small, modest contribution.”
Vice-Chairperson Boris Becker and
members Ilie Nastase and Nadia
Comaneci.
The Swiss Foundation was
represented by Laureus Friends &
Ambassadors such as Gian Simmen,
Alain Sutter, Baschi and Manuela Pesko,
as well as members of the Foundation’s
Board of Directors, including Ottmar
Hitzfeld. The evening was compèred by
Above: Boris Becker, Vice-Chairperson of the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation (left), and Ottmar Hitzfeld,
member of the Laureus Foundation Switzerland Board of
Directors at the Second Laureus Charity Night in Zurich.
TV presenter of the year Rainer Maria
Salzgeber, who himself is a Friend &
Ambassador of Laureus Foundation
Switzerland.
The musical entertainment was
provided by Roger Hodgson, the voice
of Supertramp, who encouraged people
to give generously with the song “Give
a little bit”, before donating a guitar to
the evening’s silent auction arranged
in conjunction with Christie’s. Various
desirable items and unforgettable
experiences with famous athletes were
up for grabs, and the auction eventually
raised in excess of SF264,000. The
funds will be directed to the Swiss
buntkicktgut, Blindspot and Midnight
Projekte Schweiz projects and the
international Mathare Youth Sports
Association (MYSA) project.
Buzz!
Leading the way
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is to make a
valuable donation to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
to coincide with the release of their new game “Buzz! Brain
of...” The ‘Buzz!’ series, now in its eighth generation, is the
world’s biggest selling video quiz game, having sold more than
seven million copies to date. The forthcoming version will be
released in March 2009 on the PS2, PS3, and PSP platforms, and
will feature thousands of questions in five categories: Sport, Music,
TV & Movies, Lifestyle and Knowledge.
The funds are donated by SCEE in recognition of the sportsmen
and women who consent to the use of their images in the game, and
will be used to support the work of Laureus in helping to improve the
lives of disadvantaged young people.
“Deciding upon the worthiest cause for this donation was very
easy; the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation improves the lives of
hundreds of thousands of children the world over, and we are proud
to be able to support this Foundation and the excellent work that
they do” said Lee Clare, SCEE Producer – Buzz! Franchise.
Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation, said: “We are extremely grateful to Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe and to the featured athletes for their valuable
contribution. These funds will go to support some of the 65 projects
around the world that we support which use sport as a way to
change people’s lives”.
The Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation this year hosted an
event, unique in its history, that
will become central to the
organisation’s future.
In July, leaders from many Laureussupported projects came together
from around the world for a three-day
conference at the Royal Holloway,
University of London.
The Laureus Project Leaders’
Forum provided an unparalleled
opportunity for networking between
project founders and leaders, and
generated important debate about
future challenges and opportunities,
focusing on how partners can best
work together to address these.
The Forum assessed the potential
for Laureus and its key partners to
develop more strategic partnerships
that can contribute to improving sport
and development practice by building
institutional knowledge and expertise
Sony donates funds to Laureus through
its new game
Leaders from around the world come together at the
Project Leaders’ Forum
through shared learning.
Among those attending were
Tommy Clarke (Grassroot Soccer);
Luke Dowdney and Leriana Figuerido
(Fight for Peace); Damian Hatton
(Street League); Bob Munro, George
Nange and David Thiru (Mathare Youth
Sports Association); Gal Peleg (Peres
Center for Peace); Matthew Spacie
(Magic Bus) and Brendan Tuohey
(PeacePlayers International).
In future, such initiatives will allow
the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
to better assist projects far beyond its
financial capability to donate funds.
The ultimate goal is to realise the
power of the Laureus Foundation’s
vision by being able to build capacity
at the projects it supports, transferring
knowledge and expertise gained
through years of innovation into smaller
start-up projects and expanding even
further the Laureus family.
Foundation NEWS
13
www.laureus.com
Rugby breakthrough
Laureus World Sports Academy member Sean Fitzpatrick and Laureus
Friend & Ambassadors Annabelle Bond and Butch James visit Laureus’
Hong Kong rugby project
Rugby icons Sean Fitzpatrick and Butch James
joined British mountaineer Annabelle Bond in
Hong Kong to visit the ground-breaking Operation
Breakthrough project on 31 October.
James, a member of South Africa’s 2007
Rugby World Cup-winning team, is a recent
member of the Laureus Friends & Ambassadors
programme, while All Black legend Fitzpatrick,
who received his World Cup winner’s medal in
the inaugural competition in 1987, is a longserving Laureus World Sports Academy member.
Celebrated British mountaineer Annabelle Bond,
a Laureus Friend & Ambassador, is known for
scaling the highest summits on seven continents
in just 360 days, making her the fastest woman to
complete the climbs in the shortest time.
The three Laureus representatives met members
of the Operation Breakthrough Under-16 rugby
side at the International Youth Tournament being
held in Hong Kong. Fitzpatrick delighted players and
spectators by performing the ritual Maori ‘Haka’
dance for them.
Operation Breakthrough works in partnership
with the Hong Kong Police and the Hong Kong Rugby
Football Union, using sport as a means to fight crime
and juvenile delinquency in low-income and immigrant
Above: Laureus World Sports Academy
member Sean Fitzpatrick, Laureus Friend
& Ambassador Annabelle Bond and
participants of Operation Breakthrough.
communities. In addition to rugby, the project also
offers sports such as boxing, football, contemporary
dance, sailing and dragon-boat racing.
“I am thrilled to be a Laureus Friend &
Ambassador and it was terrific to be able to visit
my first Laureus-supported project with such a
great rugby player as Sean Fitzpatrick,” said James
afterwards. “It was great to see so much positive
communication between the leaders and the
youngsters. I would like to congratulate everyone who
has worked so hard to make Operation Breakthrough
a success.”
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www.laureus.com
14
A Million
Mentors
NED WILLS, DIRECTOR OF THE LAUREUS SPORT FOR GOOD FOUNDATION,
DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH PEER LEADERS AS AN ESSENTIAL
INGREDIENT TO SUCCESSFUL SPORT AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
Tanni Grey-Thompson and Edwin Moses at the
open-table discussion on the power of sport in Tel
Aviv at the tenth anniversary of the Peres Centre
for Peace.
Laureus World Sports Academy Chairman Edwin
Moses and Vice-Chairperson Tanni Grey-Thompson
joined a group of influential sports personalities
recently in Tel Aviv, including FIFA President Sepp
Blatter, Real Madrid President Ramón Calderón and
International Olympic Co-ordinating Committee
member Alex Gilardy, for an open-table discussion
on the power of sport.
NEW PROJECT
Laureus MotorV8, UK
Laureus World Sports Academy member Mika Häkkinen
launches a new motor sport project
The conference was held to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of the Peres Center for Peace, which
has been working steadfastly to bring Israeli and
Palestinian communities together in this divided part
of the world. Entitled ‘Overcoming hurdles through
sport’, much of the conversation, naturally, focused on
how sport can help to build bridges between Arab and
Jew. But, time and again, the question came up: what
is the most effective way to do this?
A day earlier, Moses and Grey-Thompson had
visited a Laureus-supported basketball project for
refugees and underprivileged Palestinian children in
the West Bank city of Ramallah, where peer mentoring
and youth leadership are fundamental to the success
of the programme. As Moses explained to the
conference, “Young people are active role models for
other young people. Success is aspirational. A young
person aspiring to achieve the successes of a sporting
hero has learned an important life lesson. However,
the immediate influence of an older brother, friend or
young peer mentor is a powerful constant in a young
person’s development and therefore an important
consideration for projects wanting to have a positive
impact on young people’s lives.”
This of course does not just apply to the unique
situation in the Middle East; it is a common theme
throughout all the humanitarian projects which
Laureus supports around the world. It has become
an important part of the Laureus way of doing things.
We understand the value of peer mentoring and youth
leadership in our projects and more of our resources
now go towards the training of leaders and coaches
than ever before.
Many of the projects attribute success to the active
participation of young people from the target group, who
take on roles in the management and development of
projects. These young people then become role models
to new members of the programme – either mentoring
member and double Formula
One World Champion Mika
Häkkinen was guest of honour
in Milton Keynes in December
for the official launch of
Laureus MotorV8, a motor
sport-based project, supported
by the Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation.
In his first project visit as a
member, Häkkinen was
supported by three of his fellow
Academy members: Boris Becker,
Sean Fitzpatrick and Hugo Porta.
Laureus MotorV8 is a
programme which aims to
broaden the mechanical skills
of young people to improve
their employability and provide
a diversionary activity for them,
both inside and outside school
hours. Participants include
ROLE MODELS 15
drug users, young offenders,
those with physical disabilities
and those who find integration
difficult, such as recent
immigrants.
The project, which is based
in Oxford and can help up to
300 young people each year, is
funded by the Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation in co-operation
with the UK arm of Global
Partner Mercedes-Benz. The four
must be addressed if society’s more fundamental
problems are to be tackled.
The spectacular Olympic Games in Beijing once
again focused the world on sporting achievement and
the power that sport wields in inspiring the young.
Global media coverage at the time was peppered
with stories of young men and women who lifted
themselves from humble and difficult backgrounds to
achieve great deeds on the world’s sporting stage. Of
course not everyone can win Olympic gold medals or
play in the FIFA World Cup, but the example is there to
be followed. Taking part in sport requires the qualities
of teamwork, determination, respect for the rules
and a healthy lifestyle, attributes which can deliver
success in all walks of life, not just sport.
Laureus has an opportunity to use the power of the
Laureus World Sports Academy not only to highlight
the issues and promote the use of sport in tackling
them, but also to inspire each and every one of us to
take responsibility for those around us: communities
to look after their young people, to mentor and guide
them away from pernicious influences; people going
about their everyday live, who, perhaps unbeknown to
them, influence those around them – a team-mate,
a subordinate, a manager, their families, friends, their
children’s schools and their own communities at large,
regardless of whether they feel or wish to be active
members of it.
Using the experience of projects supported by
the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, and the
inspirational examples of the Academy, Laureus
will develop its mission to communicate the value
of inspiration, mentorship and youth leadership to
tackle a number of social ills in the developed and
underdeveloped world and challenge policy makers
and agenda setters to make youth leadership and
peer mentoring development a central part of policy in
the fight against the social challenges of today.
Academy members presented
Laureus MotorV8 with a cheque
for €100,000 to fund its
activities. Finnish racer Häkkinen,
World Champion in 1998 and
1999, said: “I am particularly
proud to be here today since it
is my first official Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation visit and of
course because it has a motor
based theme. More importantly,
this project really shows the
www.laureus.com
them directly, or being engaged in ensuring continuity of
the programme as it expands.
Examples of this approach can be seen at the Mathare
Youth Sports Association project in Nairobi, Kenya,
where part of the continuing attendance criteria for the
participants is that they referee football games for the
younger children. Similarly at Fight for Peace (FFP) in
Rio de Janeiro, young people are engaged through a
Youth Council in the management and development of
the project. Young participants are selected by other
club members to represent their interests in the growth
and expansion of the programmes. So successful has
this approach been that fifty percent of staff at FFP
in Brazil, which Laureus has assisted in replicating in
London, were themselves members of the programme,
having previously been involved in drug trafficking in
the favelas of Rio.
Both these examples, and many more from around
the world, demonstrate that a large part of a project’s
success comes from the development of young people
as leaders and as active members of the project and
the community.
At PeacePlayers International (PPI), the basketball
project in Ramallah which Moses referred to in
his comments at the Peres Center, he and GreyThompson met young graduates from the PPI
Leadership Programme, who are then enrolled in a
parallel programme to develop their skills to coach
and influence others with the life lessons they have
learned through basketball.
The Middle East has its own unique problems,
but around the world many countries, cities and
towns face different social evils where the breakdown
in family and local communities is largely held
responsible for the upsurge in youth crime, gang
culture and gun and knife violence. The lack of role
models and a trusted guiding influence, whether it be
at home or in the local community, is a problem which
A young person
aspiring to achieve
the successes of
a sporting hero
has learned an
important life
lesson.
During the visit, the two Laureus
World Sports Academy members
also spent three days visiting
PeacePlayers International, a
Laureus-supported project in
the West bank (See page 25
for more details).
Laureus mission at work in
the best possible way. This is
a wonderful programme that
demonstrates how the power of
sport can make a difference to
young people’s lives.”
Podcasts of Häkkinen,
Fitzpatrick, Porta and Becker
speaking from the Laureus
MotorV8 are available at
www.laureus.com
member Mika Häkkinen with participants
from the Laureus MotorV8 project.
www.laureus.com
16
ROLE MODELS
When I was 12, I was marched
into a large school hall with my
classmates one bright October
day. We all sat down in front
of an ancient black-and-white
television and watched grainy
pictures from the Mexico
Olympic Games.
Two athletes from our home
town of Sheffield in Yorkshire were
competing. John Sherwood won a
bronze medal in the 400 metres
hurdles. His wife Sheila just narrowly
missed gold in the long jump.
That day a window to a new world
opened for me. By the time I was back
in my classroom, I knew what I wanted
to do – and what I wanted to be.
The following week I stood in
line for hours at my local track just
to catch a glimpse of the medals the
Sherwoods had brought home.
It didn’t stop there. Two days
later I joined their club.
I had found my role models.
Two years later Sheila gave me
my first pair of racing spikes.
Those Mexico Olympic Games
were in 1968. And here we are, 40
years on, with the memories as fresh
in my mind as ever.
My journey in sport started
in that school hall and continues
today. It took me to Olympic
success of my own. It gave me
the inspiration to work to bring the
Olympic and Paralympic Games
back to my own country. And it gave
me the desire to do what I can to
help disadvantaged young people
through the work of the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation.
The thought that drove me on as
we worked to bring the 2012 Games
to London was how many 12-yearolds will be inspired by the prospect
of an Olympic Games in their own
country, as I was. There could be
youngsters of just 10 or 11 who can
now discover their goal. Teenagers,
who have perhaps dabbled in sport
Mexican
vision
without seeing their way forward,
who will find themselves refocusing
and knowing that they could be in
their prime in 2012.
Life for many of today’s children
in the West is very different from
what it was when I was 12. We live
in a world of boundless possibilities
and competing distractions.
But there are still problems, even
in our affluent society. Each country
has its own difficulties. In the United
Kingdom, for example, there has
recently been a spate of knife crime
among teenagers in the cities.
I believe that many of these
problems are a result of children
lacking the right role models, or
indeed any role models. Sport, as we
know, can provide role models, but
recently this has not been an obvious
choice for young people. Hopefully we
can work towards changing that.
In less developed countries the
problems affecting young people
can be more intractable, and this
is where Laureus chooses to do
much of its work and tries to make
a difference. HIV/Aids, illiteracy,
delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse,
antisocial behaviour, gangsterism,
street crime, mental-health problems
and depression are just some of the
issues we tackle.
I was in Beijing in August, when
the handing over of the Olympic flag
to London’s mayor Boris Johnson
marked the start of the four years
leading up to the 2012 Olympic
and Paralympic Games. The Beijing
Games were terrific and it was
inspiring to watch the baton being
passed to London.
I also remember another visit
to China a few years ago, when
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS
ACADEMY MEMBER
SEBASTIAN COE DESCRIBES
THE INSPIRATION THAT
TOOK HIM FROM A
SCHOOL HALL TO OLYMPIC
GOLD MEDALLIST AND
CHAIRMAN OF THE LONDON
ORGANISING COMMITTEE OF
THE 2012 OLYMPIC AND
PARALYMPIC GAMES
Above: Sebastian Coe is Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the 2012
Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Right: Laureus World Sports Academy member Sebastian Coe in action during the
semi-final of the 1984 Olympic 800 metres in Los Angeles, California.
I was one of a group of Laureus
World Sports Academy members
who went to a Laureus Sport for
Good-supported project in Shanghai.
Along with Nadia Comaneci, Yaping
Deng, Kapil Dev, Michael Johnson,
Franz Klammer, Robby Naish and
Daley Thompson, we made an
unforgettable visit to the Lu Jia Zui
School in Pudong, Shanghai for
children with special needs. We were
given a traditional Chinese welcome
– cymbals crashing and balloons
flapping in the wind as more than a
hundred children shouted out their
greeting.
ROLE MODELS 17
www.laureus.com
www.laureus.com
18
The school had been established
by the Special Olympics, the world’s
largest sports organisation for
children and adults with mental
handicaps, and it was taking a
leading role in the Unified Sports
Programme in China, which places
individuals with and without mental
handicaps on the same teams for
training and friendly competition.
It has proved to be one of the
most powerful tools for changing
attitudes, breaking down barriers and
promoting integration.
During the visit we took part in
classroom lessons and shared games
time with the pupils. The highlight
was China’s Olympic gold-medal
star Yaping Deng, widely acclaimed
as the greatest female in tabletennis history, giving coaching to the
youngsters. And Michael Johnson,
the greatest 400-metres runner of all
time, and double Olympic-gold-medal
winner Edwin Moses took part in an
“Many Laureussupported projects
around the world help
young people who do
not have families or
role models.”
impromptu sprint race with some of
the pupils, many of whom did not
even come up to Edwin’s waist.
Nadia Comaneci and I found
ourselves among dozens of excited
youngsters in a large hall with
pale green walls, where they were
playing with a giant tub full of
plastic balls. They were shrieking
with delight and having enormous
fun, so Nadia and I joined in. It all
ended hysterically with us on our
backs in the tub.
I am not sure if the youngsters
actually knew who we were, but
their parents and the teachers at
the school did. They told us how
inspiring it was for them that we
were there to support the work of
the school. Frankly it was just as
inspiring for me to see the love and
care that was lavished on those
young people, who were born with
such a disadvantage in life.
The children in that particular
project had parents who cared
about their prospects and their
future, but many Laureus-supported
projects around the world help
young people who do not have
families or role models close to
home who can give them the help
and the drive they need to make the
right decisions about their life and
their future.
Like so many of my fellow
members of the Laureus World
Sports Academy, I was enormously
lucky to have the support of my
Above: Sebastian Coe runs with
students from the University of
Shanghai in Shanghai, China.
father throughout my career. He
was my coach and my inspirational
mentor. He was always there for me.
He was born in East London,
near the site that will become the
2012 Olympic Stadium. He did not
know much about athletics, but
when I came home from that school
hall in Sheffield and announced
what I wanted to do, he became my
biggest, unquestioning supporter,
and he remained that throughout
my career.
I remember how he was
unimpressed with the coaching
methods of the time when I began
19
www.laureus.com
Draped in the Union Jack after winning a
gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in
Los Angeles.
members Daley Thompson and
Sebastian Coe give kicking tips to a
youngster from the Indigenous Sports
Programme, Melbourne, Australia.
to run and, although he knew little
about athletics, he applied himself
to translating East German and
Russian textbooks on physiology.
He was criticised for being too
physically punishing, but has since
been acknowledged as being ahead
of his time. “Slow running produces
slow runners,” he used to say, and
he focused my training on short,
fast bursts rather than miles and
miles at a slow pace.
When he was 19, he was one
of five survivors of a merchant-navy
boat that was torpedoed in the
Atlantic during the Second World
War. Picked up by a German boat,
he was put to work in the kitchen
because he spoke fluent German.
He later escaped by jumping off
a train that was taking him to a
prisoner-of-war camp. He walked
through the day and night to Spain,
where he was jailed for six months
and badly beaten. I remember once
after a row with an athletics official
I said to him, “You don’t scare
easily.” He replied, “I don’t scare at
all. The past 45 years have been
a bonus.” He was a great man to
have on your side. He died just a
few months ago during the Beijing
Olympic Games, and I miss him
very much.
We all need role models and
mentors in our lives, whether they
are great sportsmen or -women,
or someone in our family. This
has become an important part of
the Laureus way of doing things.
We understand the value of peer
“Our goal is
to create an
infrastructure,
through the
use of sport,
that allows a
community
to help itself.”
mentoring and youth leadership
in our projects, and more of our
resources now go to the training
of leaders and coaches than ever
before. You can provide great
facilities for youngsters to play
sport, but the support of a coach,
a trainer or a social counsellor can
be just as valuable. Where possible,
we train local people so the benefit
instantly feeds back
into the community.
Our goal is to create an
infrastructure, through the use of
sport, that allows a community to
help itself.
It may seem a vast leap from
an indistinct television screen in
Sheffield to self-help projects in
Mumbai, Kampala and the violent
streets of Rio de Janeiro, but it is a
journey worth making.
www.laureus.com
20
ROLE MODELS
Champions
of champions
YOUNG PEOPLE INVARIABLY LOOK UP TO SPORTS
STARS AS HEROES AND ICONS. BUT WHO DID THE
HEROES OF TODAY LOOK UP TO ONCE UPON A TIME?
WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE GREAT SPORTSMEN
AND SPORTSWOMEN, WHO HAVE WON LAUREUS
WORLD SPORTS AWARDS SINCE THEIR INCEPTION
IN 2000, TO TRY TO DISCOVER WHO OR WHAT IT
WAS THAT HELPED THEM TO BECOME THE GREAT
CHAMPIONS THEY ARE TODAY.
LEWIS HAMILTON & AYRTON SENNA
British motor-racing star Lewis Hamilton won the Laureus World Sports
Breakthrough of the Year Award in 2008 after his highly successful inaugural
season in Formula One.
As a child, Hamilton dreamed of being Ayrton Senna, and he was just
nine years old when the racing legend was tragically killed in 1994. When
Hamilton drove in the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2007 he visited Senna’s grave
in Sao Paulo. “It was my dream to do something similar to my idol Ayrton,”
he has said. “One day I was told by my stepmum he had just died. That was
the turning point of my life. It made me realise I had to make the most of my
talent. He was the coolest, smoothest, most determined-to-win driver I have
ever seen. He was world champion. That’s what I want to be.”
Fittingly, Lewis Hamilton achieved that status in November 2008, securing
the title by a solitary point in the last race of the season – in Brazil.
YELENA ISINBAYEVA & SERGEY BUBKA
The Russian Yelena Isinbayeva is indisputably the greatest women’s
pole vaulter in history. She won Olympic gold in 2004 and 2008,
became the first female to clear five metres in July 2005, and was
named Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year in 2007. Her role
model since she began her pole-vault career is the legendary men’s
vaulter Sergey Bubka, a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
Bubka was the world’s dominant pole vaulter for almost 20 years,
setting a total of 35 records in that time. Having broken 24 of her own
already, Isinbayeva has declared that she would love to beat that tally.
ESTHER VERGEER & LANCE ARMSTRONG
Esther Vergeer is the world’s leading wheelchair tennis player. She
has twice been Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a
Disability, in 2002 and 2008.
“There are people I admire, like Lance Armstrong, who don’t
let things get them down, in spite of whatever setbacks they have
faced,” she said. Armstrong is a prime example, of course, having
fought off cancer before assuming the mantle of the world’s most
successful Tour de France rider. “They fight for what they want to
achieve, which I find a wonderful thing to see. I really don’t like
people who give up without even trying.”
Vergeer has herself become a role model and her amazing
sporting prowess has helped to open public eyes to Paralympic sport.
ROLE MODELS 21
www.laureus.com
TIGER WOODS & EARL WOODS
The World’s number one golfer Tiger Woods has always measured
his career against that of the legendary Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18
major championships. But if Nicklaus is his yardstick, then without
any doubt his father was his mentor. When Earl Woods died in May
2006, Woods acknowledged the debt he owed.
“My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will
miss him deeply. I wouldn’t be where I am today without him. I’m
overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished.
He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend.”
As Woods became golf’s dominant figure, the close bond between
father and son became a widely known part of his legend. After
almost every tournament victory, the son could be seen striding off
the 18th green to embrace the father. When Woods won the 2005
Masters in Augusta, he dedicated the victory to his father, who was
watching on television from a nearby hotel room because he was too
ill to be on the course.
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www.laureus.com
22
JANICA KOSTELIC & THE KOSTELIC FAMILY
MICHELLE WIE & TIGER WOODS,
ANNIKA SORENSTAM, ERNIE ELS
Michelle Wie became the youngest woman to take part in a US
men’s golf tournament when she participated in the 2004 Sony
Open in Hawaii at the age of 15. She went on to win the Laureus
World Newcomer of the Year Award that year. “It would be really
neat if I could be a Tiger Woods,” she said. “Tiger has broken
down barriers and it would be great if I could help women to
compete against men. But doing that is a personal choice for me
and I’m not saying women should play against men. Tiger and
both Ernie Els and Annika Sorenstam are role models to me.”
KELLY HOLMES & SEBASTIAN COE
Double Olympic gold medallist in Athens in the 800 metres and 1,500 metres,
Kelly Holmes took up athletics at 12, encouraged by her physical education
teacher Debbie Page. “She was full of energy, motivating and most of all
passionate about what she did,” said Holmes. “She identified a talent in me
and advised me to take up athletics after coming second in a cross-country
race. I loved sport at school and was very lucky to have a great PE teacher.”
Later in her teens when she had joined the army, she says her eyes were
turned to a higher goal by track star Sebastian Coe. “I dreamed of being
Olympic champion from the age of 18 after watching Sebastian Coe win
a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. He was my hero. I thought he was an
amazing runner with so much determination to be the best. I don’t have any
other particular role models but I respect anyone who has worked hard to try
and strive to be the best they can. “I don’t know how other people view me,
but I am happy if I can pass on my experiences. I hope I am the same person
I was before I won my two gold medals.”
One of the greatest skiers of all time, Croatia’s Janica Kostelic became
the first woman in skiing history to win four Alpine gold medals,
following her victory in the women’s combined event in the 2006
Winter Olympics in Italy. She is also the only woman to have won three
alpine Olympic gold medals in one year, at Salt Lake City i n 2002. She
won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award in 2006.
The Kostelic family played a pivotal part in giving her the chance to
ski at the highest level. And it was not without danger. While war in the
former Yugoslavia prevented many of her Croatian teammates from
training or from skiing at all, Kostelic and her family left their native
Zagreb and found a place to train in the snow on distant mountains.
Kostelic, her brother Ivica, her father Ante and her mother Marika,
once took refuge for a week in a cave for fear of air strikes, only
allowing her out to train in daylight. They also slept in the family car.
When she became the first Croatian medallist at a Winter
Olympics, she honoured her family: “This is a family medal. Everything
was always me, my brother and my father. My mother was always
there, too, and she’s the boss. This is the family’s dream come true.’’
LAYNE BEACHLEY & PAM BURRIDGE
Australia’s Layne Beachley is the most successful woman in professional
surfing history. She won seven world titles and was named Laureus
Alternative Sportsperson of the Year in 2004.
She was adopted at six weeks old by Valerie and Neil Beachley and
was devastated when Valerie died when she was just seven. She began
surfing at 14 and attracted the attention of 1990 world champion Pam
Burridge who became her mentor.
Beachley said: “I was mentally and physically very weak when I
started. I was intimidated, easily psyched out, but I got to know world
champions like Pam. I saw what they did and found out what made them
tick and went and did it myself. They taught me so much. I wasn’t afraid
to go up and ask them for help, even though we were still rivals.”
ROLE MODELS 23
www.laureus.com
SERENA WILLIAMS & ZINA GARRISON
Serena Williams is the winner of nine singles Grand Slam tennis
titles. In 2003 she won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year
Award and in 2007 she won the Laureus World Sports Comeback
Award. As an African-American athlete, she cites the encouragement
she received from the success of Zina Garrison, who reached the
Wimbledon women’s final in 1990, as crucial to her career. Williams
was eight then.
“I remember when Zina was in the finals at Wimbledon,” she said.
“We were practising. This guy came screaming on the court, ‘Zina’s
in the finals. She beat her. She beat her.’ We were so happy. It was
a dream come true for us. It was unbelievable for her to get there.
When she got to that Wimbledon final, I felt like if she could do it, then
I wanted to be there one day. I know every time I step out on the court
I play for me and I play for all the other little African-American kids out
there who have a dream and who might not have the means. I feel like
I play for them too.”
ROGER FEDERER & ROD
LAVER
Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, winner
of 13 Grand Slam tennis titles, has been
chosen for the Laureus World Sportsman
of the Year Award on four successive
occasions between 2005 and 2008. He
appreciates the value of role models.
“Rod Laver is my hero,” he said. “My
tennis hero. And it’s important for me to
represent the sport correctly and be a
good role model for the kids.”
Federer has used his victories on court
to remind the world that children count. In
2003, he established the Roger Federer
Foundation to fund projects benefiting
disadvantaged children, primarily in South
Africa where his mother was raised, and
to promote sports for young people. www.
rogerfedererfoundation.org
24
EXTRAORDINARY GARY STANNETT MBE ON THE LONDONPEOPLE BASED URBAN STARS PROGRAMME
the day and delivered a one-hour seminar and
questions session with the young people on the day.
The response of those participants when Tommie
Smith was introduced, and the questions they
asked of him, will stay with those present for a long
time. (Note: Tommie Smith is a Laureus Friend &
Ambassador in the USA).
When did you get involved in the
project and how?
I have worked in the sport and social development
arena for over 10 years with London Active
Communities and the Positive Futures initiative
across the UK. We have recently delivered community
sports and youth development projects in South
Africa, and through that route developed links with
the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. To be able to
work with a respected partner such as Laureus, and
pool our resources and expertise to benefit young
people and communities across London was too
good an opportunity to miss – hence London Active
Communities launched the Urban Stars project in
October with Laureus.
What do you most like about the project?
The opportunity to build partnerships that can influence
funding agencies and strategic bodies alike. The Urban
Stars programme will be underpinned by a three-year
action research programme examining the role of
sport in addressing issues of youth crime, violence
and gang membership – including highlighting best
practice – whilst simultaneously developing accredited
training courses in peer mentoring/youth leadership
and the use of sport in tackling crime. These two
initiatives will influence both strategic thinking and
workforce/volunteer development in the UK and will be
applicable worldwide.
What are the key lessons you have learnt
since being involved in your project?
That we need to consult young people and
Who are your role models and what
have they taught you?
Above: MBE Gary Stannett gives an interview on
the Urban Stars programme.
communities at every stage of project development
to keep the project relevant. In this case the project
participants will in time become the project leaders so a
sense of local ownership is imperative in the process.
What has been your highlight since you have
been involved in the project?
Clearly the Urban Stars project is at its early stages,
but we recently hosted a one-day programme in
Kennington for over 100 young people in the project,
comprising three sports – boxing, athletics and
football – workshops on conflict resolution, and a
BBC 2 film on the 1968 US Civil Rights Movement.
The focus of that film was the athlete Tommie
Smith, now a Doctor of Sociology, who attended
NEW PROJECT
Urban Stars, UK
In October 2008, London Active Communities
(LAC) and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation
launched Urban Stars, a much-anticipated multisports programme focusing on football, urban
cricket, basketball and boxing.
The project operates in the London inner city areas
of Brent, Lambeth and Southwark and targets young
people aged 13-19, tackling gang membership,
crime and anti-social behaviour in some of the UK’s
most deprived communities. It works with both male
and female participants
and offers young people
routes into education,
training and employment.
The project offers a
comprehensive, community
based programme of sports
participation, coaching and
competition, including three
sessions per week of three
hours each. There will be
cross-borough competitions
in cricket, football and
basketball throughout the
year. It aims to provide a
I have drawn inspiration and learnt many lessons
from people across all walks of life, from sport,
politics, education, people I have worked alongside
and young people and communities I have worked
with. Hopefully that will always be the case.
What would you like to say to coaches and
other project leaders in other parts
of the world?
I think we are very lucky to work in a field where
we can see the results of our endeavours every
day – from the young people and communities we
work with. I have found this to be true not just of my
own programme and organisation but across all the
countries and cities I have worked in. We are also
lucky that we share this work with inspirational people
around the world, from very different cultures and
surroundings but with the same aims and objectives
– to use sport to change the lives of the young people
and communities we work with. Hopefully projects like
this will give us an opportunity to build networks, share
learning and best practice and maximise the impact of
our projects within our own communities.
reduction in the numbers
of young people joining
gangs or being perceived
as being in a gang, as well
as a reduction of offending
rates by participants and
the number of weaponsrelated incidents. This should
lead to a reduced fear of
crime in target areas and
a lessening of youth crime
and anti-social behaviour.
Participants are offered
quality learning opportunities
after school, in the evenings
and at weekends which will
lead to a rise in academic
attainment and aspirations
and employment.
The programme provides
a package, underpinned by
academic research, that can
be rolled out on both the
national and international
stage. Beginning in London,
Laureus and LAC plan to
expand the programme
to other major UK cities
including Birmingham,
Liverpool and Manchester.
25
www.laureus.com
West Bank project inspires
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY CHAIRMAN EDWIN MOSES
AND VICE-CHAIRPERSON TANNI GREY-THOMPSON VISIT THE
LAUREUS PROJECT IN THE WEST BANK
Below: Edwin Moses and Tanni
Grey-Thompson with girls from the
PeacePlayers International project.
“Sport is one of the few things
that can bridge the divide between
the communities which is why the
recognises projects like these”
Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and Vice-Chairperson
Tanni Grey-Thompson spent three days visiting PeacePlayers International (PPI), an
organisation that uses the game of basketball to provide a positive outlet, teaching leadership
and life skills to refugees and Palestinian children. PPI operates in various countries around
the world.
Double Olympic gold medallist Moses and Paralympic legend Grey-Thompson shared life
experiences with the children, shot hoops and joined in basketball drills and match
play.
“Sport is one of the few things that can bridge the divide between the communities
which is why the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation recognises projects like these,”
said Moses. “A decade ago, Nelson Mandela, the Patron of Laureus, spoke of the
power of sport to change the world and unite people and communities in the way little
else does. Ten years on, in Ramallah, his impassioned words relate clearly to what has
been witnessed by participants in this programme.”
Grey-Thompson was similarly moved by her trip, saying, “This has been inspirational
and one of the most uplifting Laureus visits I have ever made. I have been fortunate to
witness what this programme can deliver to these young girls. It gives them not only
the opportunity to play sport, but also teaches them to live healthy and productive lives.
I was always taught to aim high and this is the message I wanted to deliver. I am so
happy to be here today to do what I can to help this important cause.”
At the end of what was a day full of perspective, the sporting legends witnessed a
‘twinning’ programme at Gonen in Jerusalem, which featured both Arabic and Israeli
boys who meet twice a month using basketball to foster understanding between the
two communities.
PeacePlayers International was established in the West Bank in 2005. Laureus has
been supporting PPI since 2002. American brothers Brendan and Sean Tuohey, who are
the founders of PeacePlayers International, were presented with the Laureus Sport for
Good Award in 2008.
www.laureus.com
26
Pangaea, manned by
Laureus World Sports
Academy member Mike
Horn, will cover over
100 000 kilometres.
Top: Laureus World Sports Academy member
Mike Horn on Pangaea.
Above : Mike Horn with HSH Prince Albert of
Monaco and Mrs Gaynor Rupert, wife of Mr
Johann Rupert, Executive Chairman of Richemont,
who has agreed to be the ‘Godmother’ of Pangaea.
Cheered on by a large crowd of supporters and spectators,
Pangaea slipped its moorings in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, and
set course south for Drake Passage en route to Antarctica.
It was 18 October and Pangaea, a revolutionary 35-metre
environmentally friendly ocean-going yacht, was beginning one of
the most remarkable voyages of exploration ever undertaken – a
four-year trans-navigation of the globe by sea and land. On board
were renowned South African adventurer-explorer Mike Horn,
his crew and six young adults who were about to become the
initiators of a worldwide environmental mission.
The vessel and expedition are named Pangaea, after the
supercontinent that existed 250-million years ago, which reflects Mike
Horn’s goal to unite the continents again symbolically through the
ground-breaking Young Explorers Programme (YEP). Over the next four
years, the expedition will cover 100,000 kilometres, reaching the North
and South Poles and crossing all the continents and oceans. Horn will
walk, kayak, cycle, paraglide, ski and sail across all terrains, including
27
www.laureus.com
Man on an
eco-mission
Laureus World Sports Academy member Mike Horn sets
sail on his four-year global environmental tour
oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, desert, jungle, tundra and ice fields.
Horn is one of the greatest modern-day explorers. Among his exploits
have been Latitude Zero, an 18-month circumnavigation of the Earth
around the Equator; the Arktos Expedition, a solo circumnavigation of the
Arctic Circle lasting 27 months; and the North Pole Winter Expedition, the
first-ever night expedition to the North Pole, starting from the northernmost
point of Russia and ending two months later at the North Pole. His Latitude
Zero expedition won him a Laureus World Sports Award, and three years
ago he was elected a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
A main feature of the expedition is the Young Explorers Programme
(YEP), in which groups of young people from around the world will join
Mike on various stages of the mission to learn about the planet and to
initiate environmental solutions for future generations. Using his 15 years
of exploration experience, his aim is to create environmental awareness
among the young, and to highlight the beauty of the planet by taking them
out onto a variety of terrains to let them see it for themselves.
Educational specialists and local guides will join these young adults out
in the wild and share with them their knowledge about the flora and fauna;
help them understand the fragile and important interaction between man,
nature and its elements; and enable them to find solutions and initiate
projects that will help protect the planet for future generations.
Youth and environmental projects will be established in the countries that
Pangaea visits. The main areas that they will focus on are:
• Water Projects – emphasising the need to study and monitor the
oceans, their biodiversity and the impact humans have on them. The
projects will also engage in ocean cleanups, debris removal, and the
cleaning of coastlines and water sources.
• Biodiversity Projects – studying, understanding and appreciating flora
and fauna, and the importance of balanced ecosystems, with road
maps as to how to achieve these.
• Social Community Projects – aiding and educating local communities
on optimising water supplies in villages, improving sanitary and
hygiene conditions, and becoming self-sustainable from an
environmental perspective.
www.laureus.com
28
When Pangaea arrived in Antarctica, the six young adults on board,
who were chosen after a rigorous selection process inaugurated the YEP
by working with scientists from the University of Munich on the ice flows
and helping to clean up metal pollution. Pangaea then sailed back to
King George Island from where the youngsters headed home while Mike
Horn trekked to the South Pole. His route after that will take him through
Australasia, China and Russia to the North Pole, across Canada, North
and South America, back to Ushuaia, and eventually back to Europe via
Africa in 2012.
Before Pangaea left Ushuaia, Horn said: ’After so many months of
preparation, I am delighted that Pangaea is actually setting sail. It has been
an unbelievable time and I feel we are embarking on something that could
have the utmost impact for mankind. I particularly welcome the young
people joining me as the first members of the YEP. They will be the first
of many to take part in this exciting and important mission. By working
together with passion and determination we can support each other and
find new hope. Together we can tap the world’s most powerful energy
source – the younger generation. I hope this will be a treasure hunt to
uncover the solutions I know are there.’
Over the last few months, Pangaea has been introducing itself to
enthusiasts and young people around the world. Beginning in Monaco,
where the expedition was launched on 17 May in the presence of HSH
Prince Albert of Monaco and Mrs Gaynor Rupert, wife of Mr Johann
Rupert, Executive Chairman of Richemont SA who has agreed to be the
‘Godmother’ of Pangaea, the vessel has visited Barcelona, Hamburg,
London, Lorient and New York, en route to Ushuaia.
In New York a group of enthusiastic youngsters from the Laureussupported Camp Interactive project in New York City were given a special
tour around Pangaea. Other visitors to the vessel during its stay were
Horn’s fellow Laureus World Sports Academy members Boris Becker and
Monica Seles.
The aim of CampInteractive is to raise personal confidence and teach
new skills to disadvantaged young Americans through a unique mix of
nature and technology. Initially students sign up with CampInteractive
for after-school homework help, but if they demonstrate commitment
they are then invited to join sports-activity trips away from New York. The
programme provides a healthy and challenging alternative to spending the
summer in city neighbourhoods, which gangs and drug dealers inhabit.
The youngsters were able to check out the remarkable vessel that is at
the heart of the expedition. Pangaea has been purpose-built to incorporate
numerous state-of-the-art sustainable technologies. These include
hydrogen-fuel cell technology, solar panels, recyclable materials and
numerous other features. Pangaea’s ecofriendly design and construction
Above right: Mike Horn with children of the
Camp Interactive project in New York.
Right: Pangaea sails past the
Statue of Liberty, New York.
“By working with passion and determination
we can support each other and find new hope.
Together we can tap the world’s most powerful
energy source – the younger generation.”
embodies the central philosophy of Mike Horn’s previous expeditions, all
of which were undertaken using natural resources and human power. The
vessel has been designed to navigate all oceans and conditions, from the
arctic to the tropics. It is also equipped with cutting-edge communication
and conferencing facilities to broadcast progress from the most remote
corners of the planet. Pangaea will serve as a unique mobile platform to
support environmental research and educational projects at its various
ports of call around the world.
THE BIG MOVE
HE WAS HER COACH AND HER INSPIRATION. AND HER FATHER
WAS PREPARED TO MOVE THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ANOTHER
CONTINENT TO HELP LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY
MEMBER MONICA SELES BECOME A TENNIS LEGEND
When a young Monica Seles, in what
was then Yugoslavia, gave up ice skating
because of too many pre-dawn training
sessions in a freezing cold arena, it was her
brother Zoltan who introduced her to tennis
as an alternative.
And it was her father Karoly who encouraged
her to keep playing, coached her and eventually
moved the family to the United States when she
was 12, so she could attend the Nick Bollettieri
Tennis Academy in Florida.
During an exceptional career, Laureus
World Sports Academy member Monica Seles
won nine Grand Slam titles, 53 singles and
six doubles tournaments, and held the World
number one ranking for 178 weeks. She said: ‘I
give my dad the credit because, in those days,
girls weren’t geared towards playing sports.
Without him, I would not have achieved what
I did.’
‘By the time I was six, I would pester him
to take me to the car park where he
set up a net. He would put a toy on the
ground and if I could hit it I could keep ‘Pick a sport you love. Don’t play for your
it. I ended up with a great toy collection!
parents, coaches, or financial rewards
I look back on that time with happiness.
or fame.
It was never about being a great tennis
player, it was about having fun.’
If it was her family that set her on her way,
There could not have been a more relevant
it was another East European athlete who
project for Seles to visit. She was a victim of
became an important role model for her. ‘When
violence in 1993 when a man stabbed her on
I was growing up, I was not aware of a female
a tennis court in Hamburg. She was unable
in any other sport apart from Nadia Comaneci,
to play for two years and needed immense
who scored the first perfect ten in Olympic
strength of character to rebuild her life. She
gymnastic history. It was an eye-opener for me.
won the hearts of the sporting world as she
I didn’t know females could participate in sport
reached the US Open Final on her return and
before then.’
won her ninth Grand Slam title at the Australian
Many years later the two women found
Open in January 1996.
themselves working together as members of
After her experiences, Monica has become
the Laureus World Sports Academy, something
an admired role model for women. This autumn
that must have seemed inconceivable to Seles
on a radio station in New York, for example, she
in her early years.
presented the Monica Seles Challenge, a forum
One of the first Laureus-supported projects
in which she spoke about the troubles and
Seles visited was Fight Back in the Bronx, in
successes she has faced in her own life, and
which women and girls are taught jujitsu and
how they made her stronger.
self-defence to help them cope with the threat
As with the Fight Back project, where her
of violence they face daily on the streets.
personal story helped the young women of the
ROLE MODELS 29
MY INSPIRATION
Monica Seles
celebrates another
win and her dad
Karoly Seles (inset).
Bronx, Seles’s goal is to help women realise
their best possible selves across all aspects of
their lives. She believes in the power of sport to
achieve this. ‘The way sport pulls communities
together, helps people have a common goal,
gives them pride in themselves, self-esteem
and physical skills is unique,’ she said.
The legacy she has left for tennis in her
native country can be seen by looking at the
world tennis rankings any week of the year. Her
success in the 1990s encouraged more women
from Yugoslavia, now Serbia, to play tennis,
with the result that currently Ana Ivanovic and
Jelena Jankovic are high in the WTA world
rankings. And she can take some credit for
creating the atmosphere that helped to produce
the brilliant young men’s star Novak Djokovic.
Seles has one piece of advice for anyone
interested in a career in sport. ‘Pick a sport you
love. Don’t play for your parents, coaches, or
financial rewards or fame. It’s tough to get to
the top, but if you enjoy it and love it, then it’s
not work – it’s fun. Tennis gave me a life I could
never have expected to have when I was a little
girl freezing on an ice rink.’
www.laureus.com
30
Spirit of Soccer
In June 2008, Laureus World Sports
Academy member and double Olympicgold-medal winner Daley Thompson
received an enthusiastic welcome when he
visited a Laureus-supported pilot project
in Eastern Europe, where two communities
are still kept apart following a 16-year
ceasefire.
Thompson was visiting a project initiated
by Spirit of Soccer in Moldova, an organisation
of Transnistria and the rest of Moldova. The
alienation and mutual mistrust create a
detrimental climate that hampers progress
towards a settlement.
An entire generation has grown up on either
side of the Dniester River with no memory
of any joint existence. Contact between the
two communities is essential if there is to
be any hope for future reconciliation. The
Spirit of Soccer project delivers sport-based
activities designed to promote interaction and
understanding between young people from
Transnistria and Moldova.
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and
the British Foreign Office supported the Spirit
of Soccer pilot, which has delivered certified
football training to 30 female and male coaches
representing both Moldova and Transnistria
the Foundation had supported in successful
programmes in Bosnia and Cambodia.
After the break-up of the USSR, Transnistria
declared its independence, leading to a war
with neighbouring Moldova that lasted for four
months until a ceasefire was declared in July
1992. Since then, Transnistria has been de
facto independent within the internationally
recognised borders of Moldova, but not officially
recognised by any other country or international
organisation. Years of separation have
widened the divide between the populations
These coaches, under the supervision of
Spirit of Soccer, went on to deliver a further
ten football camps to over 1,000 young people
across both regions.
Daley Thompson, who won decathlon gold
medals in Moscow in 1980 and Los Angeles
in 1984, said: “I doubt many people in Europe
know much about Transnistria. I didn’t before
I came here. But for the two communities, the
suspicion and mistrust are very real. The only
way there will ever be a real peace is if there
is contact between them, and that is what
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY MEMBER DALEY THOMPSON
VISITS A LAUREUS-SUPPORTED PROJECT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER
COMMUNITIES IN A FORGOTTEN PART OF EUROPE
The Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation
supported the Spirit
of Soccer pilot,
which has delivered
football training to
30 female and male
coaches representing
both Moldova and
Transnistria.
31
based CSF Sheriff, so the idea of using football
as the means to engage the target group has a
good basis.
The concept of using football coaching to
deliver other messages has been successfully
used by Spirit of Soccer since 1996. It was first
attempted in Bosnia, where children were being
killed and maimed by explosives that littered the
country after four years of bloody civil war. The
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation supported
this initial Spirit of Soccer programme, which
has shown excellent results in mine-risk
education. Following the initial success, Spirit
of Soccer, again with Laureus support among
other funders, created a similar mine-risk
education project in Northern Cambodia, where
over 6,000 villages are badly affected and over
five-million people are at risk.
Above: Laureus World Sports Academy member Daley Thompson on his visit to the Spirit of Soccer project in
Moldova. Above right and above left: Participants overcome their differences through football.
increase interaction between communities on
both sides of the Dniester with a specific focus
on young people aged ten to 18.
Football is the only activity that crosses
the Moldova/Transnistria divide. Players from
Transnistria represent Moldova in the national
team and one of the most enthusiastically
supported teams in Moldova is the Transnistria-
Laureus is now supporting the adaptation
of the Spirit of Soccer concept to other
parts of the world. Spirit of Soccer is also
part of the Football for Hope initiative, which
was launched in support of United Nations
Millennium Development Goals and is backed
by football’s world governing body, FIFA, and
Streetfootballworld.
BACKGROUND
ON MOLDOVA
Germany
Ukraine
MOLDOVA
Italy
Romania
The Republic of Moldova (Republica
Moldova) is a landlocked country
in Eastern Europe, located between
Romania to the west and Ukraine to the
north, east and south.
Moldova declared its independence
from the USSR on 27 August 1991,
and was admitted into the UN in March
1992. In September 1990, the parliament
of Transnistria unilaterally declared
independence from Moldova. Neither
Moldova’s government nor any UN member
has recognised Transnistria’s independence.
Communities in both Moldova and
Transnistria are caught in an everdeepening downward spiral. The
existence of such an atmosphere often
discourages and marginalises moderate
and compromise-oriented communities. It
prevents key stakeholders and communities
on both sides from engaging in the serious
and realistic examination of options and
solutions. It also reduces the space for
informed discussion on what exactly could
and should be done to bring the conflict
closer to a mutually acceptable settlement.
Efforts to break the deadlock can
be significantly enhanced through the
development of informational, economic,
social, human and other exchanges
between the populations of Transnistria
and rest of Moldova. Existing activities
need to be complemented by others that
focus on a broader range of Moldovan and
Transnistrian society – particularly those of
the younger generation.
www.laureus.com
Laureus and Spirit of Soccer are trying to do
with this project. I urge everyone in Moldova
and Transnistria to look forward, not back, to
create a secure future for this region.”
Thompson drove over rutted roads from
Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, to reach
the Spirit of Soccer camp at Soroca, where
coaches from Moldova and Transnistria were
delivering football training to over 100 young
people. Thompson joined in, playing football
with the youngsters and talking to the coaches.
These sessions served as a ‘hook’ for target
beneficiary groups, with messages on crosscommunity relations woven into the training.
Spirit of Soccer directed, supervised
and implemented the summer programme
alongside national coaching instructors of the
Moldovan Football Association. The aim is to
www.laureus.com
32
NEW ACADEMY MEMBER
WELCOME
CATHY FREEMAN
LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY
OLYMPIC GOLD-MEDAL ATHLETE CATHY FREEMAN HAS BEEN NAMED AS THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY
Cathy Freeman won
the Laureus World
Sportswoman of the Year
Award in 2001 after her
victory in the 400 metres
at the 2000 Sydney
Olympics. Her triumph
provided a strong memory
for host country Australia,
after she had been chosen
to light the Olympic
flame during the opening
ceremony. This made her
the only person to light the
Olympic flame and win
gold at the same Games.
Freeman, an Aboriginal
Australian, is seen as a role
model for her people and
regarded by many in the
non-Aboriginal community
as a symbol of national
reconciliation between
indigenous and nonindigenous Australians.
In her career Freeman
won two World Championship
gold medals in 400 metres
– in Athens in 1997 and
Seville in 1999. At the 1996
Olympic Games in Atlanta,
she claimed silver behind
Marie-José Perec of France.
What is your reaction at
being elected a member of
the Laureus World Sports
Academy?
I’m honoured to be part of an
amazing organisation that is
making a difference in the world.
through the Foundation. It will
be an unforgettable, once-in-alifetime experience.
At the 1994 Commonwealth
Games in Victoria, Canada,
you waved the Aboriginal
flag as well as the Australian
flag during your victory
lap. It was an important
moment. You have worked
for Aboriginal rights ever
since. Do you feel you have
made progress?
When I consider how stereotypes
of indigenous people have
changed, I have to say that
I contributed. Some would
argue the stereotypical
Australian indigenous person
is an alcoholic, uneducated,
uncontrollable and ‘good for
nothing’. I feel I have managed to
change some people’s negative
views of Australian Aborigines.
The Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation fights
against inequalities that
affect young people.
There is currently only one
Laureus-supported project
in Australia – would you like
to see more projects helping
young Aborigines?
It would be fantastic for Laureus
to continue to highlight Australian
indigenous culture and our
people’s strength and beauty.
who have touched audiences’
hearts should share their
successes to continue
inspiring others.
Everyone remembers
Sydney in 2000 when you
won Olympic gold.
Are your memories of
that moment clear?
My memories of that night are
as powerful as ever!
What are your main
activities now?
Through the Catherine Freeman
Foundation, I’m privileged to
work closely with Palm Island
– the indigenous community
where my mother was born.
www.catherinefreemanfoundati
on.com
What particularly do you
remember?
Seeing the joyful faces of my
family in the crowd as I did my
victory lap. Their elation is
a memory that I will
always cherish.
Did the support of the
crowd add to the pressure?
Or did it drive you on?
I found every aspect of the home
crowd to be an advantage. It was
their expectation and view of me
that spurred me on to win and
realise a childhood dream.
Where is the green-andyellow hooded running suit
you wore that night?
The Nike Swiftsuit is in the
National Sports Museum in
Melbourne.
What was it like to win the
Laureus World Sportswoman
of the Year Award?
Are you looking forward to
working with the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation?
Why do you think it is
important for sportsmen
and women to give back
to underprivileged young
people?
It was incredible – a real honour.
I’m proud to have my athletic
accomplishments recognised in
this way.
I am looking forward to sharing
amazing experiences with people
Sport is a powerful language – it
connects people. Sportspeople
Are you missing athletics
now that you have retired?
I miss the feeling of invincibility
and strength that comes from
being fit and confident.
Cathy Freeman
in her specially
designed running
suit at the start
of a race.
ROLE MODELS 33
EVEN AS A YOUNG MAN KAPIL DEV, A MEMBER OF
THE LAUREUS WORLD SPORTS ACADEMY, SHOWED
THE STRENGTH OF CHARACTER HE NEEDED TO
BECOME INDIA’S GREATEST FAST BOWLER
At the age of 15, Kapil Dev – along with
other young hopefuls – was attending a
coaching session for under-19 cricketers
in Mumbai (then Bombay). After a hard
morning’s practice, lunch was served: two
dry chapatis and a spoonful of vegetables.
Dev, who was used to more wholesome
food at home, complained to an official, who
tried to humiliate him in front of the other boys.
“You don’t like the food we give you?” he asked.
Dev replied, “No, sir, I am a fast bowler and
I need more food, and more solid food.” The
official laughed and said, “There are no fast
bowlers in India.”
The young Dev pledged that he would be
the best pace bowler India ever produced.
He became not only the best pace bowler but
one of the world’s greatest all-rounders – and
he captained his country to a Cricket World Cup
victory in 1983.
Role models and mentors generally occupy
a more elevated place in an individual’s esteem
than did the Bombay official – and for Kapil Dev,
now 49, there have been many who inspired him.
He said: “As we grow up, our thinking
expands. We do not remain with one role model.
It keeps changing. At least it has for me. I have
had many heroes, but now it is Nelson Mandela.
He is a great man. To have his beliefs, to suffer
what he did because of them and then to show
no bitterness or malice when the tide turns is
a mark of true greatness. If only more of our
MY INSPIRATION
Kapil Dev in action
and John McEnroe
(inset).
world leaders had his qualities.”
During his childhood, Dev’s elder brother
and father were his role models. “I remember
how much my family helped me. I think that is
why I feel most drawn to Laureus-supported
projects dealing with orphaned or disabled
children or those unable to live a normal life
at home. I am pleased to see us working with
the street children of the Magic Bus project in
Mumbai and IMAGE in Rajasthan,” he said.
In Dev’s cricketing career, legendary
batsman GR Viswanath was his role model. “He
should be idolised by every youngster in the
game, because he could play on any wicket
and against any bowler. He’s my hero – a great
cricketer and a great human being. He was my
hero when I was an ignorant lad and he will
remain my hero till my dying day.”
“I’ve had other heroes in different sports,
All aboard the Magic Bus
Children from the Magic Bus in Mumbai
welcomed Laureus World Sports Academy
members Kapil Dev and Ian Botham to their
project in November.
The Laureus-supported project is a child
development organisation which helps to
improve the lives of children living in at-risk
communities where the majority of residents
and my fellow Laureus World Sports Academy
member John McEnroe tops the list. Though
he was very temperamental, he remains an
inspiration to me. Our style and approach to
sport were very different, but he had guts and
nerve,” said Dev.
Dev’s experience in breaking the mould
makes his message especially relevant to the
thousands of children helped each year by the
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. On the
visits he undertakes, he reminds young people
to work hard to realise their dreams, because
there are no short cuts to success.
“I hope we inspire the kids,” he said.
“Many of the Academy members had humble
beginnings, but if you work hard a lot of things
can happen. That does not just apply to making
it to the top in sport – it applies to everything
you do.”
live on or below the poverty line in difficult
and overcrowded conditions. Kapil Dev said:
“I have seen the wonderful work the project
does. We do what we can, but it is always
heart-breaking to know that for every child
we help there are maybe another ten or one
hundred that we cannot. Hopefully by helping
a few, they will be able to become youth
leaders themselves and work to improve
conditions in their community.”
Left: Academy members Kapil Dev and Ian Botham at Magic Bus, Mumbai.
www.laureus.com
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
www.laureus.com
34
As we drove along
the dusty desert road
on the approach to
SKSN Sucheta Kriplani
Shiksha Niketan, I
had little idea of what
lay behind the school’s
smart pale pink walls.
I was certainly
unprepared for the
extraordinary spirit and
determination shown by the
school’s students that I would
meet on my visit.
My visit was more than
simply an opportunity to
assess the IMAGE (Indian Mixed
Ability Group Events) programme
supported by the Laureus Sport
for Good Foundation; it was a
lesson to me in how sport can not
only improve the lives of people
with physical disabilities, but also
how it can play a crucial role
in breaking down barriers and
creating friendships where social
exclusion and loneliness are often
the norm.
Over 550 students attend
SKSN, 450 of whom are boarders
with disabilities, the majority being
victims of polio. Unfortunately
a mixture of indifference and
superstition surrounding disability
in India, means that many have no
real future.
Established in 1991, the
school caters to students with
any disability, but prioritises the
most severely disabled regardless
of caste or creed. The school
opened with just 60 students but
has expanded dramatically and
now has separate boys’ and girls’
boarding houses as well as an
impressively large, if very dry and
dusty, sports field.
On arrival at the school I was
shown around the facilities,
including the dormitories,
classrooms, kitchens, sports
field and a prosthetics workshop
where limbs are painstakingly
Above: members of IMAGE located outside Jodhpur.
Right: Tom Soper of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
Breaking
down barriers
Tom Soper, Partnerships Manager, Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation discovers sport providing hope and optimism
to the disabled members of the IMAGE project in India
tailor-made for students. A new
limb allows them greater freedom
than crutches, over-used school
wheelchairs or governmentissued callipers, which, having
no knee joint, are clearly very
uncomfortable to use.
Those for whom prosthetics
are unsuitable struggle on
using crutches, sharing rickety
wheelchairs or crawling along the
hard ground on calloused hands
dragging their legs behind them.
In order to counter many of the
physical difficulties inherent with
having polio there are daily yoga
and malkam sessions. Malkam
is an ancient strength exercise,
practised on a rope or large pole
devised to keep soldiers strong
and supple. It is an ideal exercise
for people with polio as it not only
strengthens those muscles they
can use, but also ensures that the
muscles are well-stretched and
supple, thus avoiding injury to
over-worked limbs.
Laureus began supporting the
IMAGE programme five years ago
with the launch of a sports club at
Sucheta Kriplani Shiksha Niketan
(SKSN). IMAGE now run nine clubs
in Rajasthan every Saturday each
of which bring 25 young people
from an able-bodied school to
play sports with disabled children.
I was fortunate enough to
witness one of the multi-club
tournaments funded by Laureus.
Eight clubs had travelled from
all over Rajasthan to SKSN.
They were here to participate
in kabaddi, table tennis,
basketball, cricket and
athletics competitions, with
all teams consisting of an equal
mix of able-bodied and disabled
students. I watched some fierce
competition in many different
sports, including my first game of
live kabaddi, played by deaf and
dumb girls; and the 100-metre
races which included a race
for blind students as well as a
handstand race.
While SKSN provides
educational opportunities for
those with disabilities, the IMAGE
programme as well gives sporting
opportunities to the students
crucially tackling the parallel
issue of people with disabilities
being treated as outcasts. The
programme successfully upholds
the school’s motto, “Educating
hearts as well as minds”, teaching
students that those who are
different can still contribute, can
be team-mates and even friends.
Spending time at SKSN with
the young people who participate
in the IMAGE programme showed
to me first hand the philosophy
of the Laureus Sport for Good
Foundation: the belief of Nelson
Mandela, that sport has the power
to change lives.
I saw the challenges faced
on a daily basis by the school’s
students, but I also witnessed
the joy, dedication, freedom,
cooperation, friendship and huge,
beaming smiles that sport has
created in this hot, dry and dusty
corner of India.
35
1 It’s a Goal! United Kingdom
The It’s a Goal! football team made its first overseas
trip to take part in the European Association for Sport
& Social Integration (EASI) Cup in Linz, a competition
open to organisations that work in mental health.
Staged by the EASI, teams from Austria, the Czech
Republic, Germany, Greece, Slovakia and the United
Kingdom took part. Though the It’s a Goal! team
did not win the tournament, it was a great success,
offering an opportunity for players to step away from
their day-to-day realities.
2 Luta pela Paz, Brazil
In the last quarter, 540 children and young
people continued participating in boxing, capoeira
and wrestling training and citizenship classes.
Two members of the boxing class distinguished
themselves: the first won the “Golden Gloves”
championship in São Paulo for the second year
in a row, and the second was invited to take part
in a selection to fight in the Pan-American Boxing
Games in Argentina. Although there are constant
challenges, Luta pela Paz continues to grow and
make a difference in the lives of young people in Rio
de Janeiro, often in a dangerous environment.
3 IMAGE, India
IMAGE hosted another Indiability Games with great
success. Events kicked off with a rally named the
‘Chetna Rally’ (Awareness Rally) to educate the
people of Dungarpur about the project. IMAGE
members participated enthusiastically in a 5km walk
around the city. Despite the high temperatures, we
had an impressive turnout of 600 boys and girls
carrying banners and chanting songs.
well as eating, lodging and socialising together. The
camp was a forum to reinforce skills and lessons
taught during the year-round programme. PPI-Cyprus
also had the honour of being presented with the
“Award for a Special Contribution to Island-Wide
Cooperation” at the Civil Society Awards.
5 Union y Amistad de San
Isidro, Argentina
The older girls that play handball organised a
workshop to teach younger participants how to
play the game in order to promote this sport in the
community. This initiative was driven and promoted
by young project members without the assistance of
project leaders, and it has been very successful. The
older girls have been encouraged by this result and
are feeling more confident in their leadership ability.
8 Future Champs, South Africa
The official launch of Future Champs took place
in July with over 900 young people participating.
The main focus has been on the development of
the life-skills component of the project. More than
400 participants took part in the substance-abuse
life-skills sessions and games that were held in all
participating schools.
6 Midnight Projekte
Schweiz, Switzerland
9 La Liga LimaKids, Peru
Midnight Projekte Shweiz is the new project
supported by the Laureus Foundation Switzerland.
It works with youth between 13 and 18 years old,
offering sports activities to entertain and stimulate
them and prevent anti-social behaviour. Participants
attend sessions in the evenings, choosing from
basketball, volleyball, football and other sports. The
venues are alcohol-free zones where young people
can participate in various activities, encouraging
teamwork and improving social skills.
Following a series of presentations at local
universities, La Liga LimaKids was able to identify
a selection of coaches to take up coaching roles
for the upcoming season. Sporting equipment and
football kits were distributed to all the homes in
anticipation of the games ahead.
10 Grupo Desportivo de Manica,
Mozambique
Two Arsenal Football Club gap-year students
coaches volunteered in Manica for five weeks during
July and August. Will and Alec went to Manica as
strangers but left as friends. They were able to use
the skills learnt at Arsenal Football Club to empower
Manica players to become better instructors.
Lessons learnt have already been evident as
coaches are making practices more enjoyable for
the participants.
7 PeacePlayers
International, Cyprus
In July PPI hosted a summer camp, which turned out
to be a great opportunity for the project to highlight
the work of Laureus. The programme targeted youth
in rural and low-income areas where opportunities for
sport and exposure to other communities are vastly
limited, with 82 Turkish and Greek Cypriot boys and
girls from ages 12 to 15 eventually participating, as
1
6
7
4 OrphanAid Africa, Ghana
The project has continued its steady progress. Staff
training in Alternative Forms of Punishment took
place. This has led to the banning of any form of
corporal punishment in the OrphanAid Africa School.
An experienced child-rights advocate and counsellor
was employed to do group counselling on life skills
such as hygiene, nutrition and sexuality. This is
an essential addition to the project as most of the
3
4
9
2
5
10
8
www.laureus.com
Project
Roundup
participants come from abusive backgrounds and as
a result require extra attention from coaches.
Children from the Laureus-supported Indigo
Youth Movement, Isithumba South Africa.
For donations to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation cheques can be made out and posted to: Laureus Sport for
Good Foundation, 460 Fulham Road, London SW6 1BZ. For general enquiries please e-mail foundation@laureus.com
This is the official magazine of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which is supported by its Global Partners
Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and Vodafone. The Foundation is a global initiative of Daimler and Richemont. Registered in
England and Wales No. 05083331. Registered Charity No. 1111364
Magazine Editorial Director: Emma Chesworth. Enquiries: foundation@laureus.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7514 2868 www.laureus.com
Published by SchreiberFord Publications / www.sfpublications.com

- Laureus

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