Amman, Jordan: Double gold Olympian Donna de Varona has praised the ‘vision’ and ‘leadership’ of HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein and admits she is ‘honoured’ to be an Advisory Board Member for his global initiative Generations For Peace.
Less than three years ago, the former swimming champion was presented with an idea by HRH Prince Feisal on how sport could play a role in bringing communities in conflict together, and after returning to Amman for a second time to check on its progress, she says she is proud to be associated with an initiative that has made such an impact in 31 countries already.
“It really is an honour to be an Advisory Board Member for Generations For Peace,” said de Varona who has returned to Amman to attend the fifth international camp taking place until December 16. “In that first meeting when His Royal Highness shared his vision, it was clear that he had the leadership qualities to bring such an important initiative to life. Coming here to see first hand just how successful Generations For Peace has become is an enlightening experience. I would love to see Generations For Peace used within every single community in the world.”
De Varona believes that fellow former Olympians should become involved as ambassadors in the initiative to further accelerate the spread of its global reach.
She shot to fame at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics by winning two swimming golds and launched her pioneering career away from the pool by signing up a year later with US network ABC to become the first ever female sportscaster. She has since become a respected figure within the Olympic Movement, especially in the field of gender equality.
In 1974 she helped found the Women's Sports Foundation and is a member of the President's Commission on Olympic Sports and served as chairman of the 1999 Women's World Cup Soccer Tournament Organising Committee, the most successful women's sporting event in history. She also continues to serve on the prestigious IOC Women in Sport Commission and the Board of the Special Olympics.
De Varona joined the 80 delegates from 13 countries at the 10-day camp which combines practical sports sessions with interactive classroom discussion conducted by professionals in conflict resolution. These delegates share and confront the real issues they face and learn how they can overcome them by implementing Generations For Peace projects within their own communities.