Laureus Academy members Sebastian Coe and Wilson Kipketer attend the AIPS and Laureus Press Celebration 'Champions in Sport for Good'
Several World champions, past and present, were the featured guests at the annual AIPS and Laureus media reception, held at Casa Italia in the Ellington Hotel on Thursday, August 20.
Among the athletes attending were Jamaicans Shelly-Ann Fraser and Kerron Stewart, the gold and silver medallists, respectively, who accompanied Jamaica's Minister for Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange to unveil a video promoting the nation's new anti-doping campaign.
Other Berlin 2009 gold medallists attending the reception were Germany's Javelin Throw champion, Steffi Nerius, 10,000m Women's gold medallist Linet Masai of Kenya, 800m silver medallist Janeth Jepkosgei, and Men's 10,000m bronze medallist Moses Masai, the older brother of the women's race winner.
Italy's Alex Schwazer who won the Men's 50km Race Walk gold medal at the Beijing Olympics with an Olympic record time of 3:37:09 took time out from his training programme to attend. Schwazer was joined by fellow Italian Stefano Baldini, the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist and current European Marathon champion.
Former sporting legends, three-time World 800m champion Wilson Kipketer, 1968 Mexico City Olympic High Jump gold medallist Dick Fosbury who is inventor of the "Fosbury Flop" and the current President of the World Olympians Association, and Italian race walker Marizio Damilano, were honoured at yesterday's reception.
Laureus Academy members Edwin Moses, Naqal El Moutawakel, Lord Sebastian Coe, Kip Keino, and Sergey Bubka represented the "Laureus Sport for Good Foundation" which has raised more than 20 million Euro to support sport-based social projects around the globe. Moses spoke of his passion for the project while presenting a video feature. Moses thanked the media for its support for the foundation and its role in helping select nominees for the Laureus World Sport.
Other special guests included former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan and a number of IOC members.
