6pm, Friday May 24
University of Basel, Lecture Hall 001
Petersgraben, Basel
Featuring:
* Wilson Kipketer, Champion runner. Current world record holder for the 800 and 1000 meters (indoors). Spokesperson for L’organisation pour la Paix par le Sport (Peace and Sport)
* Paol Hansen, Special Adviser UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace
* Carola Szemerey, Youth Future Project
* Henk Van Nieuwenhove, Flanders Peace Field project (the 1914 Soccer Truce)
* Alyn Ware, Peace and Sport New York marathon team. Peace games trainer.
Hear about inspiring examples of the use of sports to build peace in war-time, civil conflicts, post-conflict reconciliation and in divided communities.
Sports can be an important vehicle to help us reach across political divides, civil conflicts and ethnic/religious differences to reinforce our common humanity and build the conditions for a peaceful and nuclear-weapons-free world. Sports are particularly effective for youth who may grow up in an environment of hate and intolerance to those on the other side of civil conflicts – but they often share a passion for the same sports and admire the same sports stars. Thus, playing sports together – and bringing sports stars to meet them to promote peace – can have a transformative impact on them.