Leaders from sport, business and politics gather to go ‘Beyond the Divide’

Leading figures from the worlds of sport, business and politics will gather at the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards in London from 19 – 21 October to explore how sport can be used to address the severe cultural and economic divisions that are currently dominating world affairs.

Political leaders and governing figures will include:

• HRH Princess Haya Al Hussein, former FEI president
• Lord Ashdown, president UNICEF UK
• Baroness Valerie Amos, former Undersecretary General for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator
• Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania
• David Grevemberg, CEO Commonwealth Games Federation
• Alaistair Campbell, writer, communicator and strategist

They will be joined by leading figures from the world of sport including:

• Brett Gosper, CEO World Rugby
• Lawrence Dallaglio, Rugby World Cup winner, founder and president Dallaglio Foundation
• Barry McGuigan, boxing legend
• Katrien Meire, chief executive Charlton Athletic Football Club
• Ian Ritchie, CEO RFU
• Francois Pienaar, Rugby World Cup winning captain

The three day event will be a combination of inspirational speeches, panel debates, action-led workshops, breakout events and networking opportunities.

Beyond Sport founder, Nick Keller commented: “This year Beyond Sport takes place against the back-drop of the world’s greatest rugby tournament, however, it is the critical state of the refugee crisis coupled with the on-going conflicts around the world that sit at the heart of the Beyond Sport agenda. We are honoured to welcome such revered speakers to the event to help explore what role sport can play in creating some sort of resolve or, at best, helping to alleviate the desperate situation the world is currently facing.”

The three day event will also include the Beyond Sport Awards when some of the best projects from across the globe will be celebrated and rewarded with funding and dedicated business support. 36 initiatives have been shortlisted from over 350 entries reaching across 60 different countries, including a figure skating project in Harlem working to get young girls interested in STEM education, an initiative using capoeira as a way to rehabilitate displaced young people in the Middle East, and a socially conscious gym class that supports the elderly in isolated, disadvantaged communities across the UK.

The Beyond Sport Summit and Awards is supported by its global partners Barclays, TIME and UNICEF.

[This article has been edited by the Operating Team]