Peace and Sport is delighted to present the initiatives nominated for the 2020 Peace and Sport Awards for their remarkable contribution to peace, dialogue and social change in the world through sport.
The “APRIL6 Initiative of the Year”, the “Sport for Development and Peace Program of the Year”, the “Innovative Action of the Year”, the “Special Jury Prize”, and the “Champion for Peace of the Year” are the categories represented for this digital edition. The winners of each category and the Champion for Peace of the Year will be revealed during the celebration of the 2020 Peace and Sport Awards on our social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Linkedin), from 14 to 18 December.
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, mentioned:
“The 2020 Peace and Sport Awards are approaching and we are extremely pleased to present the nominees of this edition. In these challenging times, sport remains a universal language which role is vital to promote essential values such as respect, diversity and inclusion. The peace-through-sport community must stay active and connected in order to share best practices contributing to peace, dialogue and social change across the world with innovative ways. All the selected organizations made an outstanding contribution to peace and development through sport and I wish them good luck!”
The « APRIL6 INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR» category (see annex 1) rewards individuals and organizations who have contributed to the celebration of April6, the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, through a #WhiteCard initiative or an event that raises awareness on the use of sport as a tool for development and peace. The 2020 nominees are:
• International Judo Federation.
• Kosovo National Olympic Committee.
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia.
• Palestine: Sports for Life.
• Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, within the Ministry of Education of Portugal.
From 26 to 30 November, it will be possible to vote for the “April6 Initiative of the Year” through an online platform on the website of Peace and Sport.
The “SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR” category (see annex 2) rewards a sport for development and peace program that has a positive impact for communities, teaching values through sport exercises and using equipment adjusted to the local environment. The three nominees in this category are:
• “Football for Change Outreach Project” – Indochina Starfish Cambodia (ISF) Cambodia.
• Free football-for-youth-development programs – America SCORES.
• “Volleyball4Life” program – Dutch Volleyball Federation-Nevobo.
The “INNOVATIVE ACTION OF THE YEAR” category (see annex 3) rewards an individual or an organization who uses new technologies or which develops innovative ways to promote sport as a tool for sustainable peace, education and social development. For this 2020 edition, the nominees are:
• “FLAG21@Home” campaign – FLAG21.
• “Online SAMBO Cup” – International Sambo Federation.
• “Sa7ti Friyadti” project (Empowerment through sport) – TIBU Maroc.
The “SPECIAL JURY PRIZE” category (see annex 4) rewards a significant peace through sport initiative. This year, three initiatives have been nominated:
• “ERC Cyprus rally 2019” – International Automobile Federation.
• “The Olympic Day Workout” social media digital campaign – Olympic Channel.
• “Together against COVID-19” – Olympique Lyonnais Foundation.
Stay connected for our digital celebration, and discover who will be the Champion for Peace and the Year and winners in the 4 categories from 14 to 18 December!
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ANNEX I: NOMINEES IN THE « APRIL6 INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR» CATEGORY
• International Judo Federation for the launch of a dedicated online platform, where judokas from all over the world could get involved by sharing their #WhiteCard pictures. Several hundred people from more than 100 countries participated, and all the photos were compiled together in a video.
• Kosovo National Olympic Committee, for encouraging athletes, fans and officials to take creative #WhiteCard pictures and videos while staying at home. More than 5000 people took up the challenge, including the Judo Olympic Champion Majlinda Kelmendi.
• Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia, for organizing three major online competitions to celebrate April6: the “I stay at home and train” competition, a drawing essay, and a national #WhiteCard campaign.
• Palestine: Sports for Life, for the launch of an online challenge connecting families and people from different areas of Palestine and the launch of a creative #WhiteCard chain. This initiative gave the participants the opportunity to connect and encourage each other during difficult times.
• Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, within the Ministry of Education of Portugal, who launched a massive national campaign to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace on national TV and all national media networks. Several high-level sport personalities joined the campaign, acting as role models.
ANNEX II: NOMINEES IN “SPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE PROGRAM OF THE YEAR” CATEGORY
• “Football for Change Outreach Project” – Indochina Starfish Foundation (ISF) Cambodia.
ISF Cambodia trained 200 aspiring coaches to its Social Impact Curriculum that uses engaging football-based activities to raise awareness about key social issues and minority rights, while teaching essential life skills. After the training, 20 coaches were selected to deliver weekly “football-for social-impact” coaching sessions to 500 children from deprived rural areas of Cambodia.
• Free football-for-youth-development programs – America SCORES.
Integrating poetry slams and service projects into quality inner-city football leagues, the programs inspire at-risk urban youth to lead healthy lives and make a difference in the world.
• “Volleyball4Life” program – Dutch Volleyball Federation-Nevobo.
The program uses the unique values of volleyball to empower teenage girls in rural communities in Nepal, allowing them to develop new skills to assert themselves in society.
ANNEX III: NOMINEES IN THE “INNOVATIVE ACTION OF THE YEAR” CATEGORY
• “FLAG21@Home” campaign – FLAG21.
The campaign contributed to empower refugees and migrants in the Geneva area and foster their social inclusion in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• “Online SAMBO Cup” – International Sambo Federation.
The “Online SAMBO Cup” is an innovative format of sporting competition based on values of diversity and equality and intended to be both informative and entertaining.
• “Sa7ti Friyadti” project (Empowerment through sport) – TIBU Maroc.
The project provides sport education in distance, and contributes to improve the educational opportunities for youth in disadvantaged communities.
ANNEX IV: NOMINEES IN THE “SPECIAL JURY PRIZE” CATEGORY
• “ERC Cyprus rally 2019” – International Automobile Federation.
The race run on both parts of Cyprus island and through the UN buffer zone. It brought international and local participants to come together and compete under the values of sport. The initiative received an impressive support from both communities of Cyprus.
• “The Olympic Day Workout” social media digital campaign – Olympic Channel.
It encouraged Olympians from 20 major time zones around the world to host the 24-hour live workout challenge by holding an online workout and live interaction with their fans, inspiring them to get active and stay strong during the COVID19 lockdown.
• “Together against COVID-19” – Olympique Lyonnais Foundation.
Through its endowment fund, they supported the work of organizations working on the ground in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.
