PHNOM PENH, July 27, 2007 – Laureus World Sports Academy members Bobby Charlton and Tony Hawk have called on the governments of the world to do more to combat the scourge of landmines that are still crippling people and blighting lives years after fighting has ceased.
The two legends of sport are currently visiting Cambodia to give their personal
backing to the work of the Laureus-supported Spirit of Soccer project in the
minefields near Battambang in the north of the country which uses sport as the tool
for a mine risk awareness programme for young people.
Bobby Charlton, one of the members of the 1966 England World Cup winning team and a
Director of Manchester United Football Club, said: ”It was a very emotional visit.
Seeing youngsters without limbs just getting on with their life is hard to take.
Coming from our world, it is difficult to come to terms with the idea that you could
be in danger just walking down the street.
“I am very proud of the work that the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation is doing in
Cambodia, but I would like to see the international community doing even more. It is
awful to think that so many years after the fighting has ended people are still
being maimed by landmines,” added Sir Bobby.
And skateboard legend Tony Hawk, a role model to millions of young people around the
world, added: “We have many problems in our world of which I believe sport can help,
but this is an immediate and urgent situation that needs international help now.
It's amazing to see how hard people are working to tackle this problem, but it's
still unbelievable that basic access for people to water, food and land to farm can
be so hazardous. At the rate they are working, it could take another 100 years to
clear all the mines from Cambodia. These young people deserve a safer environment
sooner."
Northern Cambodia is one of the most dangerous places on Earth. Three decades of war
have left scars in many forms throughout the country. Unfortunately one of the most
lasting legacies of the conflicts continues to claim new victims daily. Landmines
litter the countryside and as a consequence Cambodia has one of the highest rates of
physical disability of any country in the world.
The Cambodian Mine Action Centre estimates that there may be as many as four to six
million mines and unexploded ordinances in Cambodia. 98% of mine casualties are
civilian, over 6,000 villages are badly affected and over five million people are at
risk. Access for civilians living in rural areas to essential resources such as
water, roads, bridges and cultivable land is restricted and hazardous.
The Spirit of Soccer project, which began in February 2006, embodies the mission of
the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation to help disadvantaged or at risk young people
and aims to enhance and save lives through a mine risk education programme for
children via professional soccer training.
It operates by training coaches and giving them the tools and skills to teach young
people from the age of 6-18 about mines and the risks associated with mines.
Through sporting activities coaches are able to engage young people and give them
potentially life-saving advice.
Six physical education teachers have been trained to coach football and to run mine
risk education classes. Two of these teachers are women. They are the first women
ever to obtain a FIFA football coach licence in Cambodia. Their presence and
encouragement has enabled thousands of girls to enjoy and play soccer for the very
first time. Their involvement has revealed a source of potential athletic talent
amongst the female population, which will be encouraged and developed in the future.
The Spirit of Soccer project is one of over 50 projects supported by the Laureus
Sport for Good Foundation. The mission of the Laureus Foundation is to utilize the
power of sport to address social challenges through a worldwide programme of sports
related community development initiatives. The Foundation has improved the lives of
almost 150,000 children through its global foundation and a growing network of eight
subsidiary foundations in Argentina, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Spain,
Switzerland and the United States. Its work focuses on helping young people overcome
poverty, homelessness, war, violence, drugs abuse, discrimination and AIDS.
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