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Annual Meeting Gives Sports Leaders a Voice
Leading sports figures urge new efforts to increase impact of sport on society

26 January 2006 - Davos, Switzerland

Leading sport figures - from Brazil's legendary footballer Pelé to the organizer of the Homeless World soccer Cup and the President of the International Olympic Committee - gathered here today at the invitation of the World Economic Forum to present their ideas on sport as a personal and social development tool to the premier business, political and academic community.

David J. Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association (NBA), USA, spoke most forcefully of sport's power to change the world. From "ping-pong diplomacy" which enabled the US to talk to China at a time of frosty relations, to the acceleration of the end of apartheid in South Africa because of the sports boycott of the white regime, to the reconciliation of South and North Korea under one sports banner, sport has played a major role in politics. Magic Johnson had changed the image of HIV-AIDS in the US and the world when the basketball star announced he is HIV positive.

The opening up of traditional male sports to women is changing female role models, Stern added. At the Olympic Games in 2008, most of the gold medals will go to Chinese if predictions are correct - but in any case, most of them will be won by women. Sport, he told participants, "is the most egalitarian of pursuits".

Mel Young, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Homeless Worldcup, United Kingdom, a Social Entrepreneur, emphasized the transformation that his soccer tournament - with over 40 national teams - has made on the lives of homeless people. Some 70% of the players change their lives for the better after taking part, and the spectators learn to respect the homeless. "I think football can change the world a lot," he said.

Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé), World Cup Soccer Champion and Director, Empresas Pelé, Brazil, praised the Forum for bringing the athletes into the debate on sport. "The players are almost always outside the discussions." He noted: "The biggest family in the world is the football family." It is also remarkably peaceful - a truce was even declared in the Nigerian civil war so that he could play against a national soccer star. Stern suggested that with 250 million people playing basketball in China, his sport could claim to have even more supporters than soccer.

Jacques Rogge, President, International Olympic Committee (IOC), Lausanne, and Joseph S. Blatter, President, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), Switzerland, were sceptical about the power of sport to fundamentally change the world but they agreed it can make the world better - particularly in building social cohesion, improving health and reducing the need for healthcare. Rogge said the sports world urgently has to tackle problems of doping, violence and corruption. But he pointed out that the IOC returns 92% of its revenues to sport, particularly in developing countries.

The major challenges in using sport for development, Rogge said, are to reverse the trend for young people in developed countries to reduce physical activities, and to make access to sport easier for the young in developing countries. FIFA's President reminded participants that the 2010 World Cup finals will take place in Africa for the first time, and appealed for support to ensure that the benefits spread from South Africa to the whole of the continent.

During question time, one participant suggested the US might prefer a Homeless Basketball cup to soccer. A Chinese broadcaster noted that a milk producer is sponsoring the Beijing Games and asked whether this represents a trend the IOC is encouraging - away from alcohol producers. The NBA chief replied that his association's priority in the US is to help children learn to read and gain an education. The IOC President told the Chinese questioner that the IOC has strict rules on ethical behaviour and the sponsors mentioned do definitely demonstrate social responsibility.

Asked about the corruption issue, Rogge said the rise of online betting has apparently led to games being fixed. Blatter said referees of games in Brazil and Europe had fixed matches, but his organization had given him powers to act against such corruption. Pelé protested against judgements that the game is corrupt when only two matches were involved. A Brazilian Minister of Sport for four years, he pointed out that corruption is much more prevalent in politics.

Charles Denson, Co-President, Nike Brand, Nike, USA, a major sponsor of sport, said his company put money into activities that are "sustainable, replicable and scaleable". So Nike is associating its Converse product with today's launch in Davos of the Red brand to help fight AIDS in Africa. The Homeless Worldcup, which Nike supports, arose from a conversation at the Annual Meeting a few years ago, he noted.

Former Swiss President Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General for Sport for Development and Peace, closed the session with a ringing call for "a new institution" to bring people together in peaceful cooperation for development after the failure of political and national movements. "This new institution can be sport," he declared.

Notes to Editors:
• For the Fact Sheet click here
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The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. (www.weforum.org)




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