Berlin Hosts the Annual AIPS and Laureus Media Reception

The annual AIPS and Laureus media reception, held at Casa Italia in the Ellington Hotel on Thursday, 20 August, where several World champions, past and present, were the featured guests. Among the athletes attending were Berlin 2009 champions Germany’s World Champion Women’s Javelin thrower Steffi NERIUS, 10,000m Women’s gold medallist Linet CHEPKWEMOI MASAI (KEN), 800 m silver medallist Janeth JEPKOSGEI BUSIENEI (KEN), and Men’s 10,000m bronze medallist Moses NDIEMA MASAI (KEN). Italy’s Alex SCHWAZER who won the Men’s 50km gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in Olympic record time of  3:37:09 took time out from his training programme to attend and was thanked by AIPS President Gianni Merlo  who wished him well for today’s 50km final. Schwazer was joined by fellow Italian Stefano BALDINI -  2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist and current European marathon champion. Former sporting legends three-time World 800m champion Wilson KIPKETER and inventor of the “Fosbury Flop”, 1968 Mexico City Olympic High Jump gold medallist Dick FOSBURY, President of the World Olympians Association, and Italian race walker Marizio DAMILANO were honoured at yesterday’s reception.

Italy’s Alex Schwazer who won the Men’s 50km Race Walk gold medal at the Beijing Olympics with an Olympic record time of  3:37:09 took time out from his training programme to attend and was thanked by AIPS President Gianni Merlo who wished him well for Friday’s final. Schwazer was joined by fellow Italian Stefano Baldini, the 2004 Athens Olympic gold medallist and current European Marathon champion. Former sporting legends, three-time World 800m champion Wilson Kipketer, inventor of the “Fosbury Flop”, 1968 Mexico City Olympic High Jump gold medallist Dick Fosbury, President of the World Olympians Association, and Italian race walker Marizio Damilano, were honoured at yesterday’s reception.

Laureus Academy members Edwin Moses, Naqal El Moutawakel, Lord Sebastian Coe, Kip Keino, and Sergey Bubka represented the “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” which has raised more than 20 million Euro to support sport-based social projects around the globe. Moses spoke of his passion for the project while presenting a video feature. Moses thanked the media for its support for the foundation and its role in helping select nominees for the Laureus World Sport.

Other special guests included former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan and a number of IOC members.

 Dr Edwin Moses, Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, has backed the stand being taken by Jamaica against the use of illegal drugs in athletics.
 
Speaking at an event held by AIPS, the international journalists association, in Berlin, Moses said: “It is great to see how not only the government in Jamaica, but also the athletes themselves recognise the importance that the issue of drugs in sport has to the country as a whole.”
 
Earlier Jamaica’s Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Olivia Grange delivered an anti-drugs message on stage. She said: “Our athletes and government are totally behind this focus, a strong message that says we don’t need dope to cope. We believe that we have the tradition, the talent and the ability to succeed without drugs.”
 
New 100 metres world champion Shelly-Ann Fraser, speaking to a packed audience of current and former track and field stars, members of the International Olympic Committee and the world’s media, said: “If you cheat you will get caught. We don’t need to cheat. We will succeed on our own merit.”
 
The Jamaican response follows last month’s news that five Jamaican athletes, not including any of the 2008 Olympic medal winners, had tested positive for banned substances.
 
Edwin Moses was joined by fellow members of the Laureus World Sports Academy – Sergey Bubka, Sebastian Coe, Kip Keino and Nawal El Moutawakel – at the AIPS event, supported by Laureus, to celebrate the World Athletics Championships which are currently being held in Berlin.
During the event Moses gave a presentation to VIP guests, including former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan, on the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation which supports almost 70 humanitarian projects around the world and which has raised €20 million for global projects which have helped to improve the lives of over one million young people.
 
Edwin Moses said: “Our work at Laureus seeks to harness the spirit of sport to bring people together and create a force for good. Sometimes sport can succeed in breaking down barriers where nothing else can. The Laureus Foundation currently supports projects around the world which use sport as the means to overcome challenging social issues including poverty, homelessness, war, violence, drug abuse, discrimination and AIDS. The number is increasing all the time and my fellow Academy members and I do what we can to support these projects and we hope we can continue to make a difference.
 
“The media’s support for Laureus is so important. It is the media who accompany us on our visits and inform the public about the work we do and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future. It is also the Laureus Media Selection Panel who vote for the nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards. That is why we are happy to support this AIPS event.”
 
Laureus
Laureus Academy members Edwin MOSES, Naqal EL MOUTAWAKEL, Lord Sebastian COE, Kip KEINO and
Sergey BUBKA represented the “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” which has raised more than Euro 20 million to support sport-based social projects around the globe. Edwin Moses spoke of his passion for the project while presenting a video feature. Moses thanked the media for its support for the foundation and its role in helping select nominees for the Laureus World Sport
 
 
Special guests
Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch, HRH Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein of Jordan and a number of IOC members,  AIPS Executive Committee members Nickolai Dolgopolov and Evelyn Watta, Chairman of the AIPS Athletics Commission Yannis Theodorakopolous,  Berlin 2009 media director Stefan Thies and actress Nastassia Kinski were present.
 
 
Tokyo and Rome Marathons join forces
Using the AIPS media event as a springboard, Governor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara and President of the Italian Athletics Federation were joined by President of the Tokyo Marathon Koji Sakurai and President of the Rome Marathon, Enrico Castrucci to announce a partnership between the organisations. Dedicating the partnership to Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila (Olympic gold in Rome ‘60 and  Tokyo’ 64) Mr Castrucci said Bikila was a perfect symbol of the relationship between the two great world marathons. Next year’s Tokyo Marathon is set for February 28 and will be followed by the Rome race on March 21.