It was a night of pomp, pageantry, and celebration at the 10th Peace and Sport Forum awards and gala in Monaco on the 7th of December. The well-attended event under on the patronage of HRH Prince Albert 11 of Monaco had in attendance Didier Drogba, Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus, Ministers of several countries and countless other celebrities including the revered Peace and Sport’s Champions For Peace.
The night also witnessed the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Peace and Sport and the Grameen Bank of Prof. Muhammad Yunus, to put sport at the service of social re-engineering and empowerment.
A number of notable organizations and individuals won awards on the night. The FC Barcelona Foundation was named Foundation of the Year for their refugee programme, which intervened and helped to save lives in Greece, Italy and Lebanon, while the World Badminton Federation (WBF) took home Federation of the Year for their Shuttle Time Connect initiative, which created a sporting and cultural exchange between children in Asia and Australia.
Other winners on the night are:
Diplomatic Action of the Year: Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
NGO of the Year: HODI
Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the Year: GIZ
Sport Simple Programme of the Year: Welcome to Yorkshire
Event of the Year: Ojo x Ojo Productions for El Partido de la historia
April6 Initiative of the Year: Brussels Play 4 Peace
Special Jury Prize: Union Nationale de Footballeurs Professionels (UNFP)
A special recognition was given to HRH Prince Albert 11 of Monaco for his immeasurable and invaluable support for Peace and Sport which is homed in Monaco. The Prince has been a pillar and patronage of the organization since it was established about 13 years ago.
One of the highlights of the award night was the recognition of former Afghanistan national women’s team captain, Khalida Popal, who was named the Champion of the Year at the 2017 Peace and Sport Awards, following her lifelong journey to use sport as a tool for peace in her war-torn home nation.
Defying Taliban law at the age of 16 in order to play football with her female friends at school, Popal became a figurehead for women’s sport in Afghanistan, inspiring girls around the country to find enjoyment and escapism through sport. Just 12 years on, from her act of defiance, women’s sport in Afghanistan is flourishing. With professional leagues now commonplace, Popal has changed the lives of countless women throughout the conflicted nation.
On his impression of the night, the founder and president of Peace and Sport, Joël Bouzou said: “What a special evening, celebrating all those who have made such a huge contribution to the peace-through-sport movement over the past year. We have recognized some inspiration winners here tonight, but really everyone who has helped to change a life is a winner. This is a collaborative effort, and together we must move forward as one and achieve our goals.
“I also would like to congratulate Khalida Popal. Her story is truly an inspirational one, and she has been on an incredible journey to fight for what she believes in. She is a true testament to the power of sport for peace.”
Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus said: “The sports world can be a part of true change around the world. Young people make the change, and the impact that athletes can have on the mind of all young people is incredible. Athletes are so precious to young people, they are their idols, so athletes can play a huge role in change.
“By definition, athletes push boundaries, they create new success. They drive change. I am so happy to be here among all of these Champions, and I thank Mr. Bouzou for inviting me to become a part of Peace and Sport.”
Earlier in the day, Common Goal co-founder Thomas Preiss joined Grameen Creative Lab managing director Hans Reitz to discuss the ways in which businesses can invest in sports-based solutions for social good, before World Cup winning French footballer Lillian Thuram spoke alongside representatives of both UNHCR and UNESCO entitled Social innovation in challenging times.
A landmark diplomatic kickboxing event also took place between Russia’s Alena Bashmakova and Aleksandr Popov against Ukraine’s Olha Dudchenko and Ivan Maidannyk respectively highlighting the unifying power of sport.
