Athletes voice how sports can create pathways to social sustainability with Laureus, Ernst & Young

The former World No. 1 women's tennis player Muguruza and Asllani, who's played in top divisions of Spain, England, France, Italy and the USA, joined Laureus and its sustainability partner Ernst & Young (EY) at the 25th anniversary Laureus World Sports Awards earlier this week in Madrid, Spain.  

The two Laureus Ambassadors spoke on a panel of changemakers that included Kick4Life country director Motlatsi Nkhahle, with the goal of developing actionable strategies that can be adopted across sport to foster social sustainability.

The conversation spotlighted real-world examples of sport transforming communities, fostering inclusion, resilience, education and health outcomes, both through community initiatives and also major international events.

Asllani said: “Helping create a future where no kids grow up without opportunities has always been like a burning light within me. Despite our different backgrounds and experiences, there are more and more of us with shared beliefs and values, and this makes it easy for us to work together. There’s no turning back and the more of us that get on board, the quicker we’ll move forward towards equality.”  

At the close of the session, Muguruza and Asllani had aligned this diverse group of stakeholders around common strategies aimed at bringing these different sectors together in ways that benefit all of them – and the planet.

By building social engagement opportunities into elite sporting events such as the Mutua Madrid Open, athletes, community programmes and the events themselves can align their shared aim of promoting social sustainability.  

“It was fascinating to hear so many diverse perspectives and to see so clearly how the adoption of a collaborative mindset is essential to unleash sports’ full potential. Today we reaffirmed that we all have a part to play,” said Nkhahle, who's NGO Kick4Life later received the 2025 Laureus Sport for Good Award. 

As well as Nkhahle, Muguruza and Asllani, expert contributors included Alicia Rubí (EY Partner and sustainability expert) and Gerard Tsobanian (CEO of Madrid Trophy Promotions, which present top sporting events).\

Rubí commented: “Social sustainability is not a side project, it’s integral to business success and to how we build the future. This conversation marked a meaningful step forward in uniting sport, business and community for positive impact.”

The panellists explored topics including ethical leadership, diversity and inclusion, environmental action and the role of strategic partnerships in scaling impact. 

The session concluded with Garbiñe Muguruza’s call to action, urging continued collaboration and innovation, resulting in a commitment from athletes and EY to take up the conversation and plot a path to transforming the sports development sector to drive social sustainability.

“Sport gave me everything – it allowed me to live my dream and use my platform to give back to communities, which is immensely fulfilling," Muguruza said. "Working together with the support of Laureus and its sustainability partner EY is the perfect fit as it allows me to be true to myself and what I stand for. Together, we can take sports’ role in creating positive impact to the next level.”