Laureus reaches 100th Sport for Good project
LONDON, May 9, 2012
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is proud to announce that it now supports more than 100 community sports-based projects around the world, all of which are helping to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in more than 30 countries.
Laureus Chairman Edwin Moses welcomed the news by saying: “That’s a big number, 100. I’m happy that we’ve got there. I don’t think anyone ever envisioned that we would get to 100 so quickly.”
The 100th figure was reached when the Coach Across America training initiative, launched with Laureus support last month, reached nine new sports-based youth development projects in Chicago.
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation funds and promotes sport as a tool for social change. It is a global leader in research, expertise and best practice in supporting grassroots programmes around the world. Founded in 2000, it has raised more than €40 million for projects which have improved the lives of over one-and-a-half million young people.
Edwin Moses added: “Going back to the early days when we had six projects in four different cities, I don’t think anyone ever envisioned that we would get to 100 so quickly. Over the last five years it’s happened very rapidly, so it’s great that we’re able to help more kids in many different parts of the world. When I look at Laureus over the course of our life, there’s just a dramatic difference. It has shown how that the organisation has grown tremendously and will continue to do so with an effective long term strategy.”
Edwin Moses and his fellow members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, all great sporting legends, volunteer their time to support the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, whose mission is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as juvenile crime, gangs, HIV/AIDS, discrimination, social exclusion, landmines awareness and health problems like obesity.
Ned Wills, Director of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, promised there was much more to come. “The growth of projects that we support has now accelerated as we start to utilise and roll out the expertise that we’ve been developing over the last few years. I’m thrilled at the direction and the course that we’ve taken. I’m thrilled at the successes we’ve had.
“What's incredibly important is not only are we passing this significant milestone, but it’s not just about the quantity, it’s the quality of support that we’re now able to offer. We are able to offer a range of services and expertise to that 100th project that we never really would have thought possible in 2000 when we first started.”
