Masha’s winter wonderland design for IWC watch raises funds for Laureus
The excitement of winter sports is captured in the imaginative design produced by 16-year-old Masha Nikulina engraved on the back of an IWC Schaffhausen limited edition watch that will raise funds for Laureus.
Masha, from Russia, was one of hundreds of young people from Laureus-supported community projects around the world who entered a unique competition to have their drawing chosen for the Portuguese Chronograph Classic Edition ‘Laureus Sport for Good Foundation’.
The jury voted her design, which captured the flavour of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, as the winning entry and she received her prize when Laureus World Sports Academy Member and celebrated gymnast Alexei Nemov and Laureus Ambassador Anzhelika Timanina, an Olympic gold medal winning synchronized swimmer, visited the Laureus-supported Special Olympics Russia project in Moscow.
Masha’s picture, which shows happy children skiing and playing in the snow, now appears on the back of the limited edition watch. Part of the proceeds from the sale of the watch will go to support the work of Laureus.
Masha is a participant in the Special Olympics Russia project, which is based in a boarding school in Moscow and which trains children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Olympic disciplines to allow them to enter sporting competition. The project encourages young people to discover their own talents, to learn what it means to be valued as part of a team and to make friends. By forming mixed teams of athletes, both with and without intellectual disabilities, it helps overcome prejudice and strengthens the participants’ self-esteem.
Gymnastic legend Alexei Nemov, who won 12 Olympic medals in a sparkling career, said:
“As a Laureus Academy Member I set myself a task to contribute to the development of charitable initiatives around sport in Russia. Everything that is linked to Sport for Good is extremely important. I would like to congratulate Masha on having her design chosen for this year’s IWC Laureus special edition watch. It is a great achievement for her and an acknowledgement of the great work Special Olympics is doing.”
