Peace and Sport, in partnership with Hurricane Group, officially closed the 2019 #WhiteCard campaign at FISE Hiroshima held in Japan, on 19 April. For the second consecutive time, the two organizations joined forces to use urban sports to break down barriers and promote the #WhiteCard campaign generating a final total of 98 million* people reached on social media.
More than 1,000 spectators, international riders and officials came together at FISE Hiroshima for the closing of the 2019 #WhiteCard campaign where they send a strong message of peace. On this occasion, a « Riders for Peace Challenge » attracted skaters from 8 nationalities between 6 and 26 years for an Ollie contest and gave an iconic final between KéChaud Johnson (USA) and Yamoto Kosuzu (Japan). The event took place next to the symbolic Peace Memorial Park, which is the only structure that remained intact after the bombing on 6 August 1945.
Mr. Laurent Dupont, Peace and Sport Managing Director, said:
“What better way to close the #WhiteCard campaign than gathering athletes from different nationalities here in Hiroshima, the city of Peace. This year, the digital campaign generated an unprecedented worldwide mobilization that reached 98 million people on social media including governments, international federations, National Olympic Committees, athletes, Champions for Peace, clubs, NGOs and schools.”
Mr. Hervé André Benoit, Hurricane Group CEO, added:
“We are glad to partner with Peace and Sport in order to raise awareness among youngsters from all over the world about the power of sport to promote peace. FISE Hiroshima gathers a thousand of participants and we believe that the #WhiteCard is a wonderful tool to mobilize people. Together, we want to send a message of peace from the very symbolical city of Hiroshima.”
A worldwide mobilization
This year, Peace and Sport spurred an outstanding #WhiteCard mobilization in 136 countries, notably in Venezuela, Estonia, Georgia and Mexico, where numerous stakeholders participated in the campaign which was launched by football legend and Peace and Sport Vice-President Didier Drogba in Cyprus on 19 March.
Mr Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, said:
“I am so glad to see 98 million people reached on social media and to see that every year there is a growing number of governments and sport institutions and athletes taking part in the campaign. Every year, more and more significant stakeholders experience that sport can positively help to change the world.”
The sports movement has largely contributed to the #WhiteCard with the National Olympic Committees of Guatemala, Taiwan and Cameroun, the Badminton World Federation (BWF), Fédération Internationale de Teqball(FITEQ), the Burundi Federation of Judo and Karate and the World Taekwondo. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons generated an impressive mobilization of Paralympic organizations.
The Champions for Peace raised awareness among their fans by posting #WhiteCards on social media. These Champions included Tony Estanguet, Nouria Benida-Merah, Steve Mesler, Melissa Plaza, Yohan Blake and Aya Medany. And some new peace-through-sport actors joined the movement such as canoeing world Champion Jessica Fox, canoeing Olympic Champion Benoît Peschier and Canadian athlete Sam Effah. Conference of Youth and Sports Ministers of Francophonie (CONFEJES), government bodies and NGOs promoted the #WhiteCard campaign in their countries.
About #WhiteCard
Every year since its creation the #WhiteCard campaign has reached more and more people on social media. From 6 million people reached in 2014, 7 million in 2015, 28 million in 2016, 43 million in 2017 and 90 million in 2018, the exponential success of the #WhiteCard acknowledge its capacity to promote the positive and constructive values of sport. Over the 6 editions including 2019, the campaign has reached 272 million people and has become the symbol of the peace-through-sport movement. As opposed to a red card, holding up a white card is a symbolic action that represents inclusion, equality and peace.
The #WhiteCard was created by Peace and Sport to promote the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace that Peace and Sport has been leading since 2014, with the support of the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations.
*source: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tweet Binder, Meltwater
