POSTED: Sunday April 17th 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Novak Djokovic Embraces the Cause of Peace through Sport

MONACO, 17 APRIL, 2011 - FROM THE MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERS, CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE IN MONACO, ATP WORLD n°2 NOVAK DJOKOVIC TODAY JOINED THE "CHAMPIONS FOR PEACE" CLUB, A GROUP OF OVER 50 TOP-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL SPORTS PEOPLE COMMITED TO PROMOTE PEACE IN THE WORLD THROUGH SPORT.

Created by "Peace and Sport, l'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" based in the Principality of Monaco under the High Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II, the Champions for Peace club now counts 55 exceptional champions who wish to actively contribute to a true culture of peace in the world by promoting sport and its values.

His unusual profile and charisma make "Djoko" a perfect champion to spread awareness of this cause to the millions of young tennis fans throughout the world for whom Novak is an icon.

Beyond his outstanding performances and his fame, Djokovic will contribute to Peace and Sport's mission to use sport as a tool for dialogue, social integration and education for thousands of vulnerable young people living in underprivileged areas in the world.

Novak Djokovic declared: "I am very proud that I was invited to become a Champion for Peace. I want to give back to the world the joy and fulfilment that I have received through tennis. I firmly believe that sport serves the cause of peace by improving the lives of young people and building bridges between communities. I want to contribute and become an actor for peace. The Peace and Sport organisation is the perfect platform to achieve this."

Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, himself a World Champion and Olympic Medallist, added: "Champions are the backbone of what we do at Peace and Sport. It's a real pleasure to be able to count on Novak's enthusiasm, determination and intelligence to engage with his fans, reach out to new audiences and convince policy-makers that sport can and must contribute to sustainable peace. We are deeply honoured that this great celebrity has joined the Champions for Peace family. He'll be a great source of inspiration for all of us and I look forward to working with him."

Other Champions for Peace include legends of the podiums such as Sergey Bubka, SEBASTIEN CHABAL, FRANKIE FREDERICKS, Cathy Freeman, Yelena Isinbayeva, Christian KarembeU, WILSON KIPKETER, Bradley McGee, SEBASTIEN LOEB, TEGLA LOROUPE, VENUSTE NYIONGABO and Paula Radcliffe.

This exceptional group represents 31 nationalities from all 5 continents, 29 Olympic and non-Olympic sports disciplines with a total of 68 World Champions, 27 Olympic Champions and more than 150 national and regional titles!

The complete list of Champions for Peace is available on http://www.peace-sport.org

Photo:JOEL BOUZOU, PRESIDENT OF PEACE AND SPORT, NOVAK DJOKOVIC, HSH PRINCE ALBERT II OF MONACO (Copyright, P. FITTE for REALIS)

For more information, please contact the Peace and Sport press department:
+33 (0)6 83 37 66 21 - press@peace-sport.org

Or visit: http://www.peace-sport.org

ABOUT PEACE AND SPORT

"Peace and Sport, L'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" is a neutral and apolitical international initiative based in the Principality of Monaco and placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Peace and Sport puts sport and its values at the heart of local development projects conducted within communities in crisis around the world. Exercising its missions in post-conflict zones, areas of extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace.

Supported by governments, world sport governing bodies, international organizations, major international private companies and international sports champions, Peace and Sport creates synergies between different stakeholders to carry out four types of action:

·      Organizing an annual International Forum (next edition in Monaco from 26-28 October 2011))

·      a co-operation platform for peace and sport,

·      The Peace and Sport Awards, to reward individuals and initiatives contributing to peace,

·      Locally-Based Projects; concrete actions in different regions of crisis in the world. 

Today, Peace and Sport has operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, Israel-Palestine, Timor Leste, Colombia and in Haiti.

Peace and Sport was founded by Joel Bouzou, current President of the organisation. Mr. Bouzou is an Olympic medallist, world champion of Modern Pentathlon and current Secretary General for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). He is also an Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco.

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Keywords · Peace and Sport · Joel Bouzou · NOVAK DJOKOVIC

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Name: Valérie Amant
Organization: Peace and Sport
Email:
Phone: +33 6 83 37 66 21
URL: http://www.peace-sport.org/home.htm

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