The event has become a ritual. Every year, at this time, the Monegasque organization Peace & Sport awards its annual trophies. For the second consecutive edition, the award ceremony took place virtually.
The 2021 vintage has five trophies, the winners of which were revealed one per day, between December 7 and 11. At the end of the list, one of the most anticipated, that of the Champion of Peace. The Peace & Sport jury, made up of former athletes all members of the non-governmental organization, awarded it to French basketball player Rudy Gobert (photo above). He succeeds three figures from team sports, rewarded between 2018 and 2020: the Frenchman Blaise Matuidi, the South African Siya Kolisi and the Argentinian Lionel Messi.
Will 2021 remain a great year for the peace through sport movement? What should we remember? Joël Bouzou, the president of Peace & Sport, answered questions from FrancsJeux.
FrancsJeux : Despite the health crisis, has 2021 advanced the cause of peace through sport?
Joel Bouzou : Today we are seeing governments becoming more aware of this issue. More and more people are considering sport as a tool serving solidarity, inclusion and education. The health crisis has not helped, by keeping many people away from sports, but the phenomenon is now firmly anchored enough to have resisted. The White Card operation organized by Peace & Sport on the occasion of April 6, International Day of Development and Peace through Sport, this year reached 170 million people in 117 countries. This is our best result. We now need to get people back to sport all over the world.
Did the Tokyo Games help the cause?
Yes. They took place, despite the doubts and the situation. The Tokyo Games allowed us to talk about sport, but to talk about it in a certain way, often unique to the Olympic event. I particularly remember a judo fight between an Israeli, Raz Hershko, and a Saudi, Tahani Alqahtani. The two women faced off on the tatami. At the end of the fight, they shook hands. In other times, the fight would not have taken place. The IOC is to be congratulated for making such an event possible. We must also recognize all the work accomplished by the International Judo Federation and its president, Marius Vizer. They never lose sight of what can be done not just for sport, but through sport.
A growing number of international federations have developed programs focused on peace through sport. Have the health crisis, and its economic consequences, not led them to sacrifice these initiatives in favor of other priorities?
I do not believe. Led by the IOC, which this year added the word “Together” to the motto of the Games, the Olympic movement understood that sport was becoming an important pillar of the stability of societies. The Olympic truce has just been signed. The issue of peace through sport is increasingly mature. It will now move down from the international federations to the national federations. In the future, authorities will not only have to take into account high level and performance to be considered in the sporting movement. They will also have to integrate questions of solidarity, inclusion, respect, etc.
Is the phenomenon also valid for athletes?
Certainly. The profile of the champion is changing. And it will continue to evolve. To be considered a champion, an athlete can no longer just break a record or win a medal. It must have a social impact. The World Olympians Association (Joël Bouzou is also its president) is developing more and more programs intended to help athletes serve society, particularly youth.
Does Rudy Gobert, winner of the Peace & Sport Champion of Peace trophy for the year 2021, stick to this new model?
Yes. He opened a foundation, Rudy’s Kids, for children. It develops programs on health, education and citizenship. Through this initiative, Rudy has a direct impact on the lives of young people helped by his foundation. He is also involved in supporting a Rwandan association for sportswomen.
The winners of the Peace and Sport Awards for the year 2021:
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies received the “NGO of the Year” award for its project “Uniting through the power of football”
- The Secretary of State for Youth and Sports of the Government of Portugal won the “Institution of the Year” award for his National Plan for Ethics in Sport (NPES), which is implemented by the Institute Portuguese Sports and Youth (IPDJ) since 2012
- The World Rafting Federation received the most votes for the “APRIL6 Initiative of the Year” award for its digital awareness campaign “Be white water”
- The peace animators of the NGO Cop Colombia Internacional were awarded the “Special Jury Prize” for their essential role in promoting peace through the practice of football in Usme, Colombia
- French basketball player Rudy Gobert has been named Champion of Peace.
