© IOC/Anne Chevalley
24 April 2009
How can we promote a culture of peace among youngsters? How can we make sport a driving force for developing a community and young people? How can we mobilise youngsters through sport? These are some of the issues that will be addressed at the very first International Forum on Sport, Peace and Development on 7 and 8 May at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Placed under the patronage of the International Olympic Truce Foundation (IOTF) and the IOC International Relations Commission, this Forum will bring together experts from across the world representing the Olympic family, governmental and non-governmental institutions, United Nations agencies, as well as universities and the media.
Young people – a priority target
This Forum will above all place emphasis on young people, who are, for the global community of today, a challenge and responsibility but also an asset. Sport is, in essence, the only language understood by everyone. Sport is also a remarkable educational tool. It allows youngsters to acquire many useful competences in the pursuit of their objectives, and contributes to forging their identity and personality. It gives them hope, pride and good health. “If young people learn to respect each other thanks to sport, they will then be ready to contribute to building a better society,” (Jacques Rogge, IOC President).
Sport: a tool for development and peace
Sport has become one of the greatest phenomena of our society, a unifying element, an ideal platform for conveying a message of peace and learning the fundamental values of respecting each other. The IOC has a social responsibility to develop sport for all to increase access to physical activity worldwide, to disseminate the values of sport in all sectors of society, and to improve social and human well-being in general. This is why the IOC is involved in several development initiatives in cooperation with many organisations, which operate in this area inside and outside the sports family, and which recognise the value of sport as a tool for development and establishing peace across the world.
Six objectives for the first edition
The objectives of this first Forum are:
- to examine how sport can work in favour of the quest for peace and development,
- to consolidate the promotion of a culture of peace among young people;
- to analyse sport for developing the community and young people and its contribution to the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations;
- to promote education and healthy lifestyles through sport;
- to evaluate how the Olympic Games can leave a legacy for education, development and peace;
- to study the way to pool all resources and the support received in order to invest these in sport to achieve fruitful development.
Forum programme with list of speakers
http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
