Amman, Jordan, 3 June 2010: As two-time Olympic gold medalist Donna de Verona arrived to support the sixth international camp for Generations For Peace, one fellow Olympian has underlined the importance of sport in bringing a lasting peace to troubled communities.
Arijana Jaha, 31, represented Bosnia Herzegovina at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in judo, 36 years after de Verona clinched two Olympic swimming gold medals in Tokyo for the USA, and both met yesterday in Amman, Jordan to reiterate their hope that more Olympians will back the initiative’s global vision.
“Throughout the problems in the Balkans of the 1990’s, it was sport that helped to get me and so many of my colleagues through,” said Jaha, who was a part of the first Bosnia Herzegovina delegation to attend an Olympics that represented the entire country. “Even with the war finishing, the political situation continued to be tough, making everyday life very hard for the people of my country.
“While the situation is better now in the cities and big towns it is still very difficult in the rural areas and this is where I want to take a Generations For Peace programme to when I return home. I want to work with my colleagues that I am here with to put something strong into place that can make a real difference to the lives of the young.”
De Verona, who is an Advisory Board Member for Generations For Peace, said she felt ‘inspired’ after meeting with Jaha and the 76 other delegates who have travelled to Amman from 17 countries and territories across three continents.
“Since 1964, I have devoted my life to use sport to connect people,” she said. “Generations for Peace brings together these extraordinary people who have witnessed first hand the problems that many of us have only heard about from a distance. Listening to their experiences really inspires me that we can all do more and what I have learned over the years is that the Olympic Movement can bring together people from a variety of backgrounds who want to make a difference for a better world.”
Generations For Peace is the brainchild of HRH Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, International Olympic Committee Member and President of the Jordan Olympic Committee, and has enjoyed an incredible three years since its inception. Its unique 10-day peace building curriculum teaches leaders of youth how sport can bring divided communities together to encourage understanding and tolerance in order to achieve a sustainable peace.
To date, nearly 500 leaders of youth from 39 countries and territories have attended the six Generations For Peace camps and their work after returning home has resulted in 2,500 leaders of youth engaging with 45,000 young people.
Generations For Peace enjoys incredible support, none more so than from its Founding Partner Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a renowned humanitarian from the Abu Dhabi Ruling Family. The Camp will mark the continuation of Samsung as the Official Regional Partner with the camp’s official suppliers being Sama Mineral Water, Sama Juice and Mudieb Haddad & Sons Co.