Save the Dream to Promote Hope and Peace through Sport at Times Square Event

NEW YORK, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With children being impacted by conflicts around the world, Save the Dream, a program conceived to empower youth through the values of sport, will share the message of hope and peace through sport by organizing a day of activities in Times Square, New York.

The event, taking place on November 3, 2015, will act as a global call to "Let the Children Play" in terms of promoting the use of sport to restore peace and hope for those who have suffered or been displaced as a result of conflict, poverty or natural disasters. The event will take place a few days after the possible adoption by the UN General Assembly of the resolution on the Olympic Truce.

It will see Save the Dream ambassadors, such as Italian soccer legend and football World Cup winner Alessandro del Piero; double Olympic Gold-winning swimmer Penny Heyns; former Real Madrid stars Fernando Hierro, Christian Karembeu and Fernando Sanz; former LA Galaxy football star Cobi Jones; and football World Cup winner Lothar Matthaus; along with a host of other international sports stars, artists and musicians, come together to raise awareness for this important issue.

"Sport is a school of life and its values can build better citizens and inspire communities. Access to sport is not a luxury; it is a right," said International Centre for Sport Security President Mohammed Hanzab. "It is a right for all, including those who, due to circumstances beyond their control, would benefit most from access to sport as a means to restore hope."

Throughout the day hundreds of children will be encouraged to participate in a variety of sports, including unified sports, where people with and without intellectual disabilities play on the same team together, on a specially constructed soccer pitch, which will be erected in the center of Times Square. The day will also feature a musical performance from renowned Senegalese singer and political leader Youssou N'Dour, including the first live performance of a song written exclusively for Save the Dream to encourage action to protect and provide sport for children, which will be made available to buy online with proceeds supporting Save the Dream's initiatives.

Save the Dream Ambassador and international soccer star Alessandro Del Piero said:

"When young people play sport, it provides significant benefits; it can break down barriers between communities and aid in socioeconomic development. For millions of children displaced by war, famine and threats to everyday livelihood, sport can provide an important path to inspire and provide hope.

"That is why initiatives such as Save the Dream's are so important in raising awareness for those children adversely affected. We can demonstrate through actions and words that if you can play sport in the middle of New York City, in the poor areas of Delhi and in earthquake-affected Haiti, then you can play sport anywhere."

Save the Dream Executive Director Massimiliano Montanari said, "We invite everybody to join us at this event promoting efforts to give children a chance to experience sport, as a tool to promote education and inter-cultural dialogue, regardless of their socio-economic conditions," said Montanari. "We established Save the Dream to protect dreams and opportunities of youth through the power of sport and its values, especially where these opportunities are jeopardised by violence, abuses, discrimination and conflicts. Save the Dream in Times Square is not just an event, it is part of long-term commitment and work we have initiated almost four years ago jointly with our partners."

Save the Dream, an initiative of the International Centre for Sport Security (ICSS) and the Qatar Olympic Committee in conjunction with technology partner Ooredoo, works to empower youth and communities through the values of sport towards more inclusive and fair society.

For more information, please visit Save the Dream's website at http://www.save-the-dream.org/

Contact: Emily Gerston, 202-643-2744 or [email protected]

SOURCE The International Centre for Sport Security