The 8th edition of the International Forum of the Peace and Sport organization ended Friday, November 27 in Monaco. Opened with a March for Peace on Wednesday, November 25, it concluded two days later with the broadcast of a documentary, “Into the sea,” which won an award at the last Sportel. In the meantime, an evening of the Peace and Sport Trophies, often passionate debates, lots of exchanges and the presence of a large number of Champions for Peace, including Sergei Bubka, Paula Radcliffe, Novak Djokovic, Christopher Froome and Pernilla Wiberg and Alain Bernard.
Joël Bouzou, the founder and president of Peace and Sport (our photo, with Albert of Monaco during the Peace March), draws up for FrancsJeux the results of the Forum and the perspectives of its organization.
FrancsJeux: Will the 8th International Peace and Sport Forum remain a good vintage?
Joel Bouzou: I believe so, yes. It was organized by a young, dynamic and enthusiastic team. I have known all the Forums, but I admit to having been impressed by the density and quality of both the debates and the speakers. There are some pretty incredible things happening on the ground today. The Trophies evening reflected this. I was worried that it would stretch a little in length. On arrival, many guests assured me that they had not found it long thanks to the richness and diversity of the projects and initiatives awarded. This Forum made it possible to show all the positive work carried out on the ground, all over the world. Today, there is a large family of peace through sport.
The March for Peace, opening the Forum, took place in a very particular context after the events of November 13 in Paris...
Quite. It was a great success, with more than a thousand walkers, including a large number of athletes. I was struck by the dignity and emotion of the participants. But this march was planned well before the terrorist attacks in Paris. It was not an opportunistic march.
Are athletes, political leaders, international leaders, listening to your messages more today than in recent years?
For sure, yes. During the last Forum, I heard leaders from the Middle East taking positions in favor of peace through sport, because they believe that this movement can move the lines. Champions, too, are getting more and more involved. Many of them realize that they can play a major role among young people, to offer them an alternative to the street and video games. We will continue to push in this direction, relying in particular on the tremendous potential represented by Olympians from around the world and their associations.
The 2015 Forum was marked by the signing of two partnership agreements, with the UEFA Foundation and the International Sports and Schools Federation. Is this the mark of a new direction taken by Peace and Sport?
These two partnerships are obviously not trivial. At least 80 NGOs would like to be associated with the UEFA Foundation. Its leaders agreed to work with us because they are aware of the role we can play on the ground. Same thing for the International Sports and School Federation. These two partnerships will allow us to broaden our scope of action and our visibility. Until then, we thought that, due to lack of financial resources, we would have to be content with carrying out pilot projects. From now on, we can go further, increase our strength and our notoriety.
How is 2016 looking for your organization?
We will once again organize our International Forum in Monaco, from November 23 to 25, 2016. Several countries want to host it, but we are postponing applications for the 2017 edition. We will also devote a lot of time and work to the International Day of Peace, on April 6, where we want to multiply our White Card operation. We also have several projects for diplomatic actions, the first of which will be revealed before the end of January. We will also further strengthen our relationship with the IOC. Finally, I hope that the Olympic year will be an opportunity to engage in as many initiatives as possible with the Olympians, to talk about peace through sport outside the sole sphere of Peace and Sport. During the Forum, despite the recent terrorist attacks, I felt a real surge of optimism. More than ever, sport can create dialogue and social bonds.
