Sport for Good Award announcement launches the biggest show in the sporting world
With one day to go until the Laureus World Sports Awards in Paris, the destination of one of the Laureus Statuettes has been revealed. The Laureus Sport for Good Award – voted on by the 71 sporting legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy – goes to TeamUp, a global programme which uses movement and sport to support the psychosocial wellbeing of children affected by conflict and war.
As some of the world’s greatest athletes converge on the French capital for this unique celebration of sporting achievement, the Laureus Sport for Good Award is a reminder of the beating heart of the Laureus movement.
Developed by Save the Children, UNICEF the Netherlands and War Child, the TeamUp intervention is now present in 26 countries. It has been supported by Laureus via the Sport for Peace and Humanitarian Action Fund, launched in 2022.
Announcing TeamUp as winners of the Award was Laureus Ambassador and Ukrainian football legend Andriy Shevchenko. Shevchenko has first-hand experience of the programme after making an emotional visit to a TeamUp session in Poland last year, set up to care for children who had been displaced from neighbouring Ukraine since the Russian invasion.
Laureus Ambassador Andriy Shevchenko said: “I would like to congratulate TeamUp on this deserved Award. I was lucky enough to be able to visit a programme in Warsaw last year, to see the work they do supporting refugee children, relieving stress via physical activities. It was an emotional day and the smiles on those children’s faces will live long in my memory. The work that is going on is a big help to support war-stricken families, and it goes some way to keeping the children happy and healthy. Tomorrow evening’s Laureus World Sports Awards will be an incredible celebration of great sporting achievement, the very best of sport. For me, when TeamUp are presented on stage, it will be a powerful reminder of the role sport can play in our societies and proof of our founding Patron Nelson Mandela’s words that sport has the power to change the world.”
Sean Fitzpatrick, Chairman of Laureus Sport for Good, said: “On behalf of the Laureus World Sports Academy, I would like to congratulate TeamUp team and their partners on their crucial and innovative work in using sport and physical activity to change the lives of displaced children around the world. Providing young people with access to a safe and inclusive space is a key aim of our work at Laureus Sport for Good, and the work TeamUp is doing – against the backdrop of a European War and other conflicts around the world – is a great example of that. The intervention is an inspiration and as Academy Members, we are so proud to celebrate the success.”
Birgit van Delft, TeamUp Programme Director (Global), said: “On behalf of the entire TeamUp team and our partners, I’d like to thank the Laureus Academy for this incredible honour. Around the world, sport is often judged on winning and losing but for us, it’s about hope, stress release, improved social connectedness, wellbeing and resilience through the power of sport and movement.
“This Award and the recognition of our work will further inspire the TeamUp colleagues in 26 countries around the world, often working in challenging circumstances but fully committed in taking TeamUp to the children who need it most. We are grateful for Laureus’ continued support in making this happen.”
Ramin Shahzamani, CEO War Child, said "This Award will serve as a great motivation to continue our mission. With 240 million children growing up amidst armed conflict, TeamUp is an important component to promote the mental health of these children through movement-based activities.”
Ala Nosatii, TeamUp trainer/mentor CCF in Moldova, said: “For me personally, TeamUp brought new knowledge on working with children and young people in emergency situations. I am glad that after TeamUp sessions, parents see changes in children’s behaviour: the children are less stressed and are sleeping better; they are more communicative, they make friends easier. The parents/caregivers are happy to see their children enjoying TeamUp activities; they can release a little and focus on positives and on their future. This also brings me a feeling that I can make somebody’s life a little bit easier, a little bit brighter. A little bit of happiness everyday makes a change in people’s lives and in my life also."
The Laureus Sport for Good Award is presented to an organisation or individual who, in the opinion of the members of the Laureus World Sports Academy, has used the power of sport to improve the lives of young people. The Academy believes the TeamUp intervention has made an outstanding contribution to society using sport and physical activity to relieve stress and traumatic experiences in displaced children.
Shortlisted alongside TeamUp for the 2023 Laureus Sport for Good Award were Boxgirls, a boxing programme in Kenya which empowers young women to challenge stereotypes; Munich-based social project High Five, who help socially disadvantaged and orphaned children, as well as young people with an immigrant background; Durban-based Made for More focus on inclusion for people with disabilities, who can be isolated and ignored due to stigma and ignorance; and Slum Soccer, a project based in Chennai, with a mission of using soccer to tackle the root causes of homelessness in India.
Laureus Sport for Good was founded in 2000 to use sport as a driver for societal change and has impacted more than six and a half million children and young people. It now funds, supports and implements sports-based community programmes around the world that use sport to tackle violence, discrimination and inequality.
In 2022, Laureus Sport for Good supported 304 programmes across 42 countries and territories with funding, training, and other technical assistance. In total, Laureus directly impacted 244,116 children and young people, each of whom had access to safe and inclusive space.
