(ATR) The IOC and the United Nations strengthened their partnership during a joint visit to Lusaka, Zambia, where IOC President Jacques Rogge and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon showed each other development projects implemented by their organizations.
The Olympic Youth Development Centre, which opened in May 2010, is the pilot project of the IOC's Sport for Hope program. Established in collaboration with six international federations and the local government, it has already been visited by thousands of athletes from Zambia and neighboring countries, the IOC says. The second center is expected to open in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2014.
"This is my second visit to the Olympic Youth Development Centre and I am honored by the presence of the UN Secretary-General – proof of the strong and increasing cooperation between the IOC and the United Nations," President Rogge said Saturday. "Having met with some of the young athletes using the facilities here today, I can see firsthand how sport truly is bringing hope to the young people of Zambia and neighboring countries. We look forward to replicating this in other parts of the world."
The UN Secretary-General said the "impressive centre goes beyond excellence in sport. It helps to educate young people about healthy positive lifestyles, literacy, life skills and gender empowerment. All of us – the government of Zambia, the IOC and a wide range of UN agencies – are working as a team. Our goal is to make all the Zambian people winners."
Other members of the IOC delegation included VP Thomas Bach, Executive Board members Sam Ramsamy of SouthAfrica and Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, and Zambian IOC member Patrick Chamunda. UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace Wilfried Lemke also accompanied the group.
During the visit to the center, the delegation also met with young people from the Chiawa Game Management Area, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) project to which Rogge made a financial donation on behalf of the Olympic Movement. The contribution will help renovate the community's football pitch and dressing room as well as provide basic sports equipment.
The IOC says it chose to support this UN project because it advocates sustainable development among young people using sports development as a tool. The facilities will also feature an information area designed to educate the community on pressing environmental issues in Zambia such as forest management and biodiversity.
Earlier in the day, the delegation visited the Fountain of Hope centre in Kamwala, where UNICEF's implementing partner, Sports in Action, focuses on rehabilitating street children and other young people through sport. The project, part of London 2012's official international sports legacy program International Inspiration, offers formal education and health services using sport as a tool.The goal of International Inspiration is to enrich the lives of 12 million children in 20 countries.
The IOC obtained UN Observer status in 2009 and works with more than 20 UN agencies to build a better world through sport.
Reported by Karen Rosen
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