Nine new Champions for Peace are coming together for the International Day of Peace on 21 September to publicize the inspiring values of sport which have the capacity to push the boundaries of achievement, rise above poverty and exclusion, overcome marginalization and test the very limits of personal endurance.
As world-renowned athletes, we are aware that sport has been a great opportunity in our lives. It has given us a career and has enabled us to accomplish personal achievements both on and off the playing field. Beyond that, sport has provided us with a universal framework for learning values, helping us to develop skills to become more engaged and responsible citizens.
We also realize that our success in the sporting arena can serve to inspire children and youth throughout to the world. Our actions and words can be a vehicle for alleviating post-traumatic stress, delivering value-based education and training, and building more inclusive societies.
We firmly believe that sport is not limited to podiums, world records and high-cost equipment. It builds bridges between cultures, facilitates inclusion, promotes responsible citizenship and fosters the universal values of respect, tolerance, fair-play, discipline, and self-confidence. Even where facilities are poor or non-existent, sport can be a platform for creative expression by transforming basic materials found in local environments into sports equipment.
On this International Day of Peace, we want to express our commitment, spreading the message of sport as a springboard for social transformation. As Champions for Peace we try to be role-models and sources of inspiration for young people throughout the world. We believe in the importance of investing our time, mobilizing our networks, and sharing our experience to serve sport-based initiatives and field projects that tackle social issues.
In a global context deeply challenged by discrimination, exclusion and violence, we believe that sportsmen and women can help foster citizenship, spread solidarity and consolidate peace. Today is a good day to demonstrate that Champions are bred, not born. The values acquired along those long years of training are more than ever needed in order to nurture new generations.
Signed by
- Didier Drogba (Football, UEFA Champions League winner, Ivory Coast)
- Laure Fournier (Sambo, French Champion, France)
- Tahl Leibovitz(Para-Table Tennis, Paralympic Champion, USA)
- Adrien Maré(Motorsport, Baja World Champion, Monaco)
- Daba Modibo Keita(Taekwondo, two-time World Champion, Mali)
- Zsolt Moradi(Kickboxing, eight-time World Champion, Hungary)
- Sarah Ourahmoune(Boxing, World Champion, France)
- Florent Pietrus(Basketball, Captain of National Team, France)
- Isabelle Yacoubou(Basketball, Captain of National Team, France)