Tony Blair and Michael Johnson to address Cape Town gathering

 South African stars to speak on role of sport, music and film in social change

UNICEF and United Nations to lead Symposium exploring sport’s impact on girls’ education

Beyond Sport revealed the program for the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards, with influential figures from the worlds of sport, business, politics and philanthropy set to gather in Cape Town to explore sport’s role in social change.

Highlights of the four-day programme will include the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Chairman of the Beyond Sport Ambassadors, and four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson addressing the gathering, bringing their own extensive experience to the table.

On the second day of the Summit, UNICEF and the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI) will lead a Symposium exploring the impact of sport on girls’ education. Specially invited attendees will continue a dialogue begun at the 2010 Beyond Sport Summit in Chicago, with a focus on the UNGEI report that carried out a mapping of sport and girls’ education.

On the third day of the Summit, a unique panel of South African stars will discuss the intersection of sport, music and film around social change. Actress and television presenter Vanessa Haywood, the musician Danny K, and Lucas Radebe, the former captain of the South Africa national football team, will focus on the challenges currently facing their home country, where a world-class sport and entertainment industry is juxtaposed with some of the globe’s most serious social issues.

The third and fourth days of the Beyond Sport Summit will also see the winners of the 2011 Beyond Sport Awards announced. 35 projects have been shortlisted, covering 18 countries and 22 different sports. They were chosen from close to 400 entries from more than 125 countries that submitted applications to this year’s Awards. The Beyond Sport Award winners will receive a substantial package of business support to help them grow and become sustainable in the future.

Throughout the week, the Beyond Sport Summit will use a combination of networking opportunities, insightful panels, and action-led working sessions to bring together those who use sport as a vehicle to create social impact with influential figures from the worlds of business, government and federations, whose attitudes and decisions can have substantial impact in the field.

Beyond Sport is a global initiative that seeks to celebrate and support any organisation or individual with the goal to drive positive social change through sport. It is partnered with Barclays Spaces for Sports, TIME Inc and UNICEF.

For the full programme of the 2011 Beyond Sport Summit and Awards, or for more information on Beyond Sport, visit www.beyondsport.org.