Dubai: Former Olympic champion Hesham Al Gerrouj, French footballer Christian Karembeu and Palestinian women’s footballer Honey Thalijeh are among the early confirmed attendees the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013 to be held here later this month.
Besides an array of invited stars, the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum will also be attended by Nawal Al Moutawakel, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee and Prince Nawaf Faisal Fahd Abdul Aziz, President of the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees.
Morocco’s Al Gerrouj, one of the best middle-distance runners in the world, will be joined by Fifa Director Walter Gagg, Karembeu, Charmaine Crooks, Rania Elwani, Fareed Lafta, Tegla Loroupe, Steve Messler and Palestinian woman footballer Thalijeh, who was recently appointed an ambassador of peace.
The event will be held at the JW Marriott Marquis hotel on April 23 and 24 under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council.
The objectives of the event are to demonstrate a commitment to help communities in crisis around the world and make sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect and citizenship with the goal of sustainable peace.
Registration for participants is now open, and all peacemakers have been invited to register in what promises to be the start of a new dawn in peace activism using the universal language of sport in the region.
The Dubai forum will focus on the themes of sustainable peace through sports policies, the importance of sport at the service of the societies and the challenges faced by communities locally and regionally. The activities will include workshops, case studies and detailed discussions, as well as plenary sessions that will give a broader insight of the challenges in these areas.
“Dubai has long been regarded as a safe haven in this region, and our intention is that the Peace and Sport Dubai Forum 2013 be a beacon for peace where we can all share our experiences and solutions to bring about concrete changes and help those in need through sports,” said Dr Ahmad Saad Al Sharif, General Secretary, DSC.
Founded in 2007, Peace and Sport has attracted some of the world’s most famous sportspersons to become ambassadors, including world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic, Ukrainian pole vault legend Sergey Bubka, world rally champion Sebastian Loeb, Namibian sprint star Frankie Fredericks, New Zealand All Blacks rugby legend Jonah Lomu and US high jump pioneer and Olympic gold medallist Dick Fosbury.
