Laureus, the global sporting movement that believes sport has the power change the world, is launching a new Everyone Wins campaign to drive engagement, raise funds and ensure a greater understanding of how sport can help transform young lives.
Backed by the legends of the Laureus Academy, Everyone Wins focuses on the opponents young people face in communities around the world, and the role sport can play in helping overcome social issues such as violence, discrimination and disadvantage.
The launch of Everyone Wins follows the success of this year’s virtual Laureus World Sports Awards, which celebrated the inspirational power of sport both on and off the court, track and pitch. Athletes such as Naomi Osaka, Lewis Hamilton and Mo Salah were awarded for their achievements in 2020, but it was their actions off the court, track or field in using their platforms to fight for social change, that had the biggest impact.
Over the past two decades, Laureus has become best known for the annual Laureus World Sports Awards. At the inaugural event in 2000, first patron Nelson Mandela stated that “Sport has the power to change the world” - Laureus Sport for Good exists to bring this power to life. The Everyone Wins campaign features a film which shows that through sport, every day, young people can develop the skills, strength and discipline to tackle their own opponents in everyday life.
Former All Black captain and Chairman of the Laureus World Sports Academy, Sean Fitzpatrick, said: “Everyone Wins marks a turning point for Laureus, a recognition that whilst the Awards are the public face of the organisation and a hugely beneficial platform for Laureus Sport for Good, our year-round work and impact has to be seen, shared and understood more regularly. I’m incredibly excited to see this dynamic campaign take Laureus Sport for Good to new audiences and look forward to seeing the response.”
Laureus is a global sporting movement, active across the world 365 days a year. In changing the popular understanding of Laureus – from a single event to a year-round campaigning sports movement – Everyone Wins will help drive engagement, fundraising and ensure a greater understanding and appreciation of how sport can help change young lives.
Laureus is calling for funding and communications partners to join it in celebrating the inspirational power of sport as a force for good by supporting programmes that directly deliver sports opportunities to young people to help them address and overcome issues facing them and their communities.
Everyone Wins celebrates participants of this work, from the inspirational community leaders, coaches and administrators, to the participants of Sport for Good programmes around the world. The campaign also promotes schools, community clubs, local councils and grassroots organisations, whose valuable contribution to society often goes unnoticed in the wider world of sport.
Four-time Overall World Cup champion and the greatest women’s Alpine skier in history, Laureus Academy Member Lindsey Vonn, said: “I think sport has a unique opportunity to change people in ways they never expected. I learned so much from winning and losing in my professional career, and I know from the work of Laureus Sport for Good and the Lindsey Vonn Foundation, that sport can transform and empower young people, helping them overcome issues in their own lives. In a ski race, there can only be one winner, but when we use sport to help young people tackle social issues, I truly believe that Everyone Wins.”
Four-time Olympic champion and Laureus Academy Member Michael Johnson said: “Through Laureus, I’ve had the opportunity to work across the world, helping disadvantaged young people change their lives for the better through sport. Our programmes help to ensure that Everyone Wins through sport when it is used to break down the social barriers that so many face. By recognising the invaluable contributions of this work, this campaign will help us continue to reach and support more communities.”
Portuguese football legend and former World and European Footballer of the Year, Laureus Academy Member Luis Figo, said: “Football has been such an influential part of my life, and taught me so much. Everyone Wins gives us a platform to celebrate the real success in sport, the young people using sport to change their lives for the better. In the professional game, there are winners and losers, but when young people use football to tackle discrimination and poverty, Everyone Wins.”
Laureus Sport for Good is a world-leader in using sport as a tool for social change, working with funding partners such as Comic Relief and Nike to support existing sports-based community programmes. Currently supporting more than 200 programmes in over 40 countries, the organisation is working to prove that sport can change the world.
