Press
Centre
Press Release
UNICEF says children deserve a sporting chance
On Universal Children’s Day, Bellamy Cheers Role
of Sports In Healthy Childhood Development; Cites Letter
from Muhammad Ali to Afghan Kids
GENEVA / NEW YORK, 19 November 2002 – One day after
international boxing star Muhammad Ali sent an open letter
to the children of Afghanistan, UNICEF today praised the
power of sport in children’s lives, saying that it
is a key component in their healthy development and an
increasingly important tool for reaching out to young
people and adolescents.
“Children have an inherent need to play, and it
is their right to do so,” said Carol Bellamy, Executive
Director of UNICEF. “But today this simple right
is denied to millions of children whose lives are enmeshed
in conflict, lost in exploitation, or stolen from them
by preventable disease. The idea that many children grow
up with no memory of play in their lives at all is a staggering
reminder of how badly we have failed our children.”
“Today is Universal Children’s Day, when we
celebrate the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child,” Bellamy added. “This year I’d
like to dedicate this celebration to the simple idea that
all children everywhere have the right to play. Sports
and games and athletics are crucial to every child’s
healthy development, and we must recognize them as more
than just child’s play.”
Bellamy cited the extraordinary welcome given to Muhammad
Ali in Afghanistan earlier in the week as an example of
the connection children have to sport and sports figures
– a positive experience they carry forward into adulthood.
She also praised the warmth and humanity of Ali’s
“open letter” to Afghan children, which he issued
at a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday, just before
his departure after a three-day visit.
“Sports builds fellowship, character, and independence,”
Mr. Ali said in his letter to the children. “I know
that for many of you, it may be difficult to participate
in athletic activity because you may not have all the
opportunities now, but we must all work together to create
more opportunities [for you],” he wrote.
“I can not think of a better role model for children
that Muhammad Ali,” Bellamy said. “Not only
because he is a great sportsman, but because he is a great
man and a great humanitarian. UNICEF is very proud to
have played a part in bringing him to Afghanistan and
we fully agree with his idea that we adults have a responsibility
to create opportunities for children to engage in healthy
play.”
She noted that UNICEF has embraced sport in a variety
of ways. Among them:
- UNICEF AIDS awareness programmes in Kenya and Honduras
use the convening power of soccer games as a way to
reach young men and boys. Likewise in Ethiopia, UNICEF
supports an HIV/AIDS prevention program in which a soccer
league conducts HIV/AIDS awareness during half-time
at football matches.
- In Brazil, UNICEF sponsors a project in a detention
centre for adolescents in conflict with the law. After
classes, the adolescents play soccer, learn judo and
gymnastics. Sport is used to help adolescents channel
their frustrations and learn new ways to deal with frustration
and anger.
- On the Tajikistan/Afghanistan border, Afghan refugee
children are playing soccer as part of educational activities
undertaken by UNICEF. Since activities such as flying
a kite and playing ball were banned under the Taliban,
this has been the first time many of the children have
experienced organized games and playful competitions.
- And in Sierra Leone, sporting competition is a central
element of a program to rehabilitate demobilized child
soldiers and prepare them for rejoining their families
and communities.
“In all these ways and many more, UNICEF has recognized
that sport and development go hand-in-hand,” Bellamy
said. “We would be foolish to overlook sport as a
tool in convening people, in reaching out to people, in
breaking down barriers between people, and in encouraging
the values of dignity, respect, fair play, and peaceful
conflict resolution.”
Bellamy also acknowledged the leadership and interest
of Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the power of sport
in human development. Annan recently formed a Task Force
on Sport, Development and Peace, on which Ms. Bellamy
serves as co-chair. The Task Force has until next summer
to produce a survey of how sport is being harnessed to
overcome poverty and improve the lives of children and
communities, with examples of best practices and suggestions
for creative new efforts.
UNICEF also noted that sports figures are among its leading
celebrity ambassadors, donating their time and fame to
draw attention to the challenges facing children all around
the world. UNICEF counts numerous former Olympians and
soccer stars among its special representatives.
“If every child was given room and time to play,
we’d be living in a much better world for children
and adults, that’s for sure,” Bellamy said.
“It’s a simple measure but one that rings true.
Athletic competition and friendly play are in our DNA
for a reason; we’ve got to tap into that spirit.”
* * *
Note to Editors:
UNICEF’s annual report, The State of the World’s
Children 2003, focuses further attention on the issues
of children’s participation. Launched globally on
Wednesday 11 December.
Note to Broadcasters:
B-roll for The State of the World’s Children 2003,
will be available shortly.
For further information, please contact:
Alfred Ironside,
UNICEF Media, New York (212) 326-7261
Wivina Belmonte,
UNICEF Media, Geneva (4122) 909-5509
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