GAISF PRESIDENT RAFFAELE CHIULLI: SPORT HAS SHOWN REMARKABLE RESILIENCE
GAISF and SportAccord President Raffaele Chiulli addressed a letter to its Members, praising the remarkable resilience and solidarity that sport has shown during these challenging times.
“We can be proud of the remarkable resilience sport has shown and continues to show in an extremely testing period for everyone,” President Chiulli said.
“At GAISF, we are extremely proud to see so many of our Members demonstrating great imagination when creating innovative projects and digital campaigns involving athletes. The social, physical and mental health benefits of these online campaigns are of great value. For the fans, it is your campaigns that continue to provide an emotional connection, a sense of community and a form of escapism.
“It is encouraging to see that our community is united behind the common goal of utilising the power of sport as a symbol of positivity, hope and progress.”
President Chiulli also referred to the International Federation (IF) Forum 2020 which is scheduled to take place in Lausanne, Switzerland on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 November 2020. This is a key annual event for GAISF’s Members and President Chiulli underlined the importance of flexibility in light of the constantly changing global health situation.
In regards to the crucial matter of sustainability, the President announced that GAISF will reveal the winners of its Sustainability Award, which aims to put a spotlight on the incredible work of IFs in this area, at its forthcoming General Assembly.
In addition, GAISF recently launched the sustainability.sport portal with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The portal already features over 600 items on the platform, with much more yet to come, and will ensure cross-sector engagement with other industries to both learn from other areas while showcasing sport’s successes to the wider world.
In June, GAISF pledged its commitment to the United Nations Alliance of Civilisation’s (UNAOC) One Humanity campaign, with several Members having already expressed their commitment to the cause. This includes, among others, the International Ski Federation (FIS), the International Judo Federation (IJF) and the International Federation of American Football (IFAF).
This campaign aims to harness the power of sport to help build peaceful and inclusive societies, while supporting UNAOC’s mission to advance understanding, cooperation and dialogue among nations and peoples across all cultures, as well as to promote diversity as an advantage rather than a threat.
To find out more about the efforts of sport to create a sustainable future, visit sustainability.sport