Danone Nations Cup World Final Kick-off

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May 04, 2010, 08:01 ET

PARIS, May 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

- << Believe in your dreams >> Zinedine Zidane

The Danone Nations Cup is 11 years old! Eleven years of dreams, contacts and sports shared by more than 18 million children. From September 30th through October 3rd, 2010, after six months of national qualifying games in 40 countries, the Danone Nations Cup World Final will fire up South Africa with real human adventure. Zinedine Zidane, faithful ambassador, will be present to launch the final of the world's largest football competition for children, for the first time away from France. Beyond the boundaries of sport, this event, now destined to travel all around the globe, will also locally commit to children and health by helping sustainable initiatives.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/danone/42419/

This year, the World Final will be held outside France for the first time, in South Africa. A few weeks after their professional elders, the children of the Danone Nations Cup will compete in the world phases of the competition in Johannesburg, from September 30th through October 3rd, 2010.

This will be a fabulous adventure for the young representatives of the 40 participating countries. Beyond the sport, this event is a major human adventure. Driven by Danone's desire to act sustainably on behalf of children's well-being and health, the Danone Nations Cup will work with local associations and contribute to targeted programmes to fight malnutrition or obesity in each host country of future finals. Football, as a universal sport, is an excellent vector for these initiatives and for Danone's values. Sporting values like fair play, the pleasure of the game, team spirit, sharing, and above all human values like openness, and respect.

Joining the finalists of the 2010 competition will be all the teams already qualified for the World Finals of the 2009 Danone Nations Cup. This final had chosen to be postponed because of the H1N1 flu pandemic.

Thus, more than 1,120 children will come together in South Africa to take part in a record-breaking competition.

For the official kick-off of the 2010 Danone Nations Cup World Final, the children and Zinedine Zidane, the competition's ambassador, invite everyone to participate in the world's longest pass (see video).

    The 45 countries taking part for 2009 & 2010 edition

    Algeria (2009 & 2010)
    Argentina (2009 & 2010)
    Australia (2009 & 2010)
    Austria (2009 & 2010)
    Azerbaijan (2009)
    Bangladesh (2009 & 2010)
    Belgium (2009 & 2010)
    Bulgaria (2009 & 2010)
    Brazil (2009 & 2010)
    Canada (2009 & 2010)
    Chile (2009 & 2010)
    China (2009)
    Colombia (2009)
    Czech Republic (2009 & 2010)
    Egypt (2009 & 2010)
    England (2009 & 2010)
    France (2009 & 2010)
    Germany (2009 & 2010)
    Guatemala (2009 & 2010 TBC)
    Haiti (2010)
    Indonesia (2009 & 2010)
    Ireland (2009 & 2010)
    Italy (2009 & 2010)
    Japan (2009 & 2010)
    Korea (2009 & 2010)
    Libya (2010 TBC)
    Mexico (2009 & 2010)
    Morocco (2009 & 2010)
    Mozambique (2010)
    Netherlands (2009 & 2010)
    New Zealand (2010)
    Poland (2009 & 2010)
    Portugal (2009 & 2010)
    Romania (2009 & 2010)
    Russia (2009 & 2010)
    Saudi Arabia (2009 & 2010)
    Senegal (2009 & 2010)
    South Africa (2009 & 2010)
    Spain (2009 & 2010)
    Switzerland (2009)
    Tunisia (2009 & 2010)
    Turkey (2009)
    Ukraine (2009 & 2010)
    Uruguay (2009 & 2010)
    USA (2010)


    Programme

    January / June 2010                     National competitions
    30th September to 3rd October 2010      World Final in South Africa
    Thursday 30th September                 Official draw
    Friday 1st October                      Qualifiers
    Saturday 2nd October                    Qualifiers
    Sunday 3rd October                      World Final


    Danone Nations Cup 2010

    11th edition

    40 countries for 2010 and 2009

    5 new countries: Haiti, Mozambique, USA, Libya (TBC), New-Zealand (TBC)

    2 500 000 children between 10 and 12 years old

    Over 25 000 schools and 20,000 clubs involved throughout the world in
    2009

    1 120 players in South Africa over 4 days (2009 &2010 edition)

    700 000 spectators throughout the world 27 000 spectators in Paris in
    2008

    250 journalists at the World Final in 2008

    Over 200 hours shown on TV around the world in 2008

    2 400 press articles around the world in 2008

    Danone Nations Cup: previous winners

    2009 postponed in 2010
    2008 France
    2007 South Africa
    2006 Reunion Island
    2005 Russia
    2004 Spain
    2003 South Africa
    2002 Argentina
    2001 Reunion Island
    2000 France

    Read all about it on information: http://www.danonenationscup.com

SOURCE Danone