Laureus Alpino Project Launch

Schaffhausen, 4 February 2010

The Laureus Foundation Switzerland launched the Laureus Alpino ski sports project on Thursday 4 February. The starting signal was given in the Axalp ski resort in Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, in the presence of Laureus Ambassador and former Olympic snowboarding champion Gian Simmen and professional ski racer Michael Brügger (who is getting ready to participate in the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver). Both professional sportsmen visited the children at the Laureus Alpino Ski Camp, run in partnership with Plusport, to enable children with physical disabilities to take part in snow sports.

Michael Brügger and Gian Simmen both know what it means to make the most of your abilities and to strengthen them with willpower, strength and commitment. Their visit to the Laureus Alpino project allowed them to pass on their experience and enjoyment of snow sports to the younger generation.

The participants of the Laureus Alpino Ski Camp are 11-18-year-olds with physical disabilities. Some of the group take part in the Laureus Alpino ski races on normal skis, the other on skibobs specially made for seated ski sports. For more information on the project please visit: www.laureus.ch.

After warming up with Gian, Michael showed the children and young people the correct starting position for the giant slalom. For Michael Brügger, the visit to the project was a reminder of the start of his own career, when he took part in his first ski camp with an artificial leg (following amputation of his lower leg). ”I quickly realised how I could use sport to improve my quality of life and I wanted to pass on this experience to the younger generation”, said Michael Brügger, one of the close circle of favourites for a medal at the Paralympic Games in Vancouver. Gian, who was most impressed with the new Laureus Alpino project, said: “Projects such as these allow children and young people to focus on their abilities and to strengthen them in a targeted fashion.”

Kids skiing at Laureus Alpino

Children standing on horses at CSI Mercedes Event

The large audience at the Mercedes-CSI show was treated to a special presentation before the traditional main event on Sunday, when children and young people from the one-year-old Laureus Cavallo project gave an exciting display of their horse-riding abilities. The project, which promotes social skills among children and young people through their contact with horses, will be expanded in Switzerland during 2010 in response to strong demand.

The young equestrians displayed what they have learnt over the past year in front of some eleven thousand on-lookers. Handling horses was a key part of the project in addition to learning dexterity, courage and co-ordination skills. The various exercises demonstrated both the children’s self-confidence and sense of responsibility, including jumping from a trampoline into the saddle which they performed brilliantly. Nimbly jumping over the backs of 11 horses required the children to demonstrate a great deal of trust in the horses. Bruno Isliker, Laureus Cavallo project manager, showed how it is possible to learn how to handle horses in a playful way. Laureus Foundation Switzerland Ambassador Conny Kissling, who has been supporting Laureus Cavallo since the start, was very impressed with the show. She said: “The horses develop trustful relationships with humans and this shows the children a new, essential way of dealing with each other and with the horses, something that was clearly on show in the display.”

The Laureus Cavallo project was launched by the Laureus Foundation Switzerland a year ago at the initiative of Mercedes-CSI organiser Rolf Theiler. The project gives socially and economically disadvantaged children aged from eight to sixteen the chance to be in contact with horses and fulfil their horse-riding dreams. Laureus Cavallo was initially launched in the city of Winterthur in conjunction with the city’s Sports Department, with the Isliker stables as partner and project manager. In its first year, 22 children and young people have already been able to benefit from the programme regularly.

For more information about the Laureus Foundation Switzerland please visit www.laureus.ch

Owen Slot’s recent article in the Times,  discusses the issue of developing and maintaining athletic talent in Africa. It highlights the successes of Laureus’ longest standing project: the Mathare Youth Sports Association.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article6972907.ece

28th December 2009

It’s been another fantastic week here at the Seenigama Sport project, with a whole host of different experiences. However, one of the main ones took place a long way from the sunny palm frond environs of Seenigama, but required just the same level of physical exertion if not more.

I was invited by the Laureus contact out here to climb Adam’s Peak with her and her parents on Christmas day. Given the way I knew my family and friends would be spending the day I thought it would be fun to do something a little different. Adam’s Peak, or Sri Pada as it’s known in Sinhalese, at 7500ft high is the second highest peak in the country and a special site of religious pilgrimage for Buddhists. The climb starts from the village of Dalhousie, which is a 7 hour bumpy twisty ride from here. Having left just after lunch, we arrived at our guest house just after 9pm in time to wolf down a huge plate of fried rice before heading straight to bed. It was lights out at 10pm as the alarm was set for just after 2am! Somewhat bleary eyed we met in the reception and at 2.30am started walking. As we’d been told, the route is lined with little kiosks ready to sell pilgrims bottles of water, cups of tea, roties or sickly sweet blocks of ant covered congealed honey (at least one aspect of which was not intentional)! However, contrary to what we’d been told the temperature was positively balmy compared to back home, particularly once we’d started climbing the never ending supply of steps, and the layers were quickly peeled off as we steamed our way to the top. The climb was pretty tough going even for someone like me, and I’m considered pretty fit, so I was very impressed by the number of elderly people doing it or those carrying small children and particularly by those doing it in bare feet! The ascent itself took about 3 hours. After a chilly hour watching the sun rise at the temple at the top (where those layers finally came in handy) it was time for the long slow painful descent and we eventually hobbled back into our hotel at 9am, however not before taking in the sensational vistas that the mountain affords.

After another twisty bumpy ride we arrived back in Seenigama just as Xmas day was coming to a close and in time for the Tsunami commemoration service. Various services happen throughout the day and the sound of monks’ prayers resonate from speakers dotted round the village. Seenigama’s main service takes place at the temple, which rather poignantly, in addition to its normal use, is now used as the designated meeting point should such a disaster strike again. Everyone was wearing white, as is the tradition with religious occasions. There are tiny oil lamps dotted all over the village, with a confluence at the temple itself, leading up to a tower of lamps, each one inscribed with the name of one of those who lost their lives. Although most people have managed to successfully move on from the disaster, in large part thanks to the work of the Foundation of Goodness, occasions such as these provide a necessary time for reflection, resulting in an inevitable and palpable air of sadness that impossible for anyone who has not been through a disaster on such scale to fully comprehend.

This is in stark contrast to everyday life at Seenigama, which is constantly filled with the noises of all the various activities going on: splashes of water from the pool, bouncing of netballs on the gravel court and the almost constant sound of leather against willow, which I’m becoming quite accustomed to and really rather enjoying. In addition, a lot of people are all too aware of the ‘positive’ impacts of the disaster. As one project leader said it has been a “blessing in disguise” as the village would have been very unlikely to have received anywhere near the same level of outside support should it not have happened. An uncomfortable truth maybe, but possibly a pragmatic one nevertheless and exemplary of the positive attitude that pervades Sri Lanka.

18th December, 2009

After a 21 hour journey and a few tearful goodbyes at the airport I finally arrived at Seenigama Sports centre, one of the Laureus supported projects. I spent 2 weeks as a tourist here last Christmas and loved the place so was very keen to come back and get to know the country better. Having been inspired by one of my fellow foundation team members to volunteer over the xmas holidays I asked a Seenigama representative (Quen) who visited our offices in March, whether they took volunteers. On being told that they did I jumped at the chance to make the most of my xmas break.

The project has a whole host of sports on offer and despite the exceptionally high standard almost everyone and anyone is welcome to join in. Following on from the recent Beefy visit there is a real Laureus buzz in the air and it’s actually quite moving to see the pride which the kids take in wearing their Laureus t shirts.

One of the sports on offer is netball, and as a enthusiastic player both at school and university I was eager to get involved. I have been amazed at just how hard the girls work – they do 2 x 2hr sessions a week, often in the heat of the day. In addition to matches this also includes all sorts of skills and practices that I wasn’t even aware of. The team are southern province champions and are going for the national title next May so have been very willing to show me just how it’s done. Despite my 5ft 9” I have been very much outplayed by the coach who can’t be much over 5ft, however I have still been thoroughly enjoying myself and have been invited to come back out next year to watch them compete. Not sure what the foundation Director will make of that…

Yesterday we had a mass yoga session on the roof of the sports centre, which involved the boys and ladies cricket, the girls netball and even quite a few staff members! It was quite different to the type of yoga I’m used to as it was very slow paced and much more about relaxing rather than stretching. However, it inspired me to run some Pilates sessions next week with the female teams and hopefully if that’s a success with the womens enterprise group. Much like in the UK male participation in sport is much higher than female participation. Unfortunately, unlike in the UK, after a certain age womens’ participation in sport is pretty much non existent. As someone who believes passionately in the role that sport can play in everyone’s lives, and women in particular, I am keen to see what I can do to reverse this. I’m hoping that if they can learn some of the basic moves they may be able to practice this in their own homes and develop and maintain a certain level of fitness. In addition, I am all too aware of the ability that Pilates and similar exercises have to reduce the chances of injuries, which given the physicality of everyday life for everyone out here could be hugely beneficial.

I am about to go off on my new Sri Lankan bicycle to map out a route to take the boys cricket team on tomorrow  – I’ll report back next week to let you know how I get on…