11 November 2010

The international organization Peace and Sport, under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco, has announced the nominees for the 2010 Sports Event for Peace award. The wheelchair rugby match Rumble in Cartagena that was the talk of the town at the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World is shortlisted along with only two other events.

"By harnessing the power of athletes-peacemakers with disabilities, the event demonstrated that ability can replace adversity and triumph can overcome tragedy," said Juan Pablo Salazar from Fundación Arcangeles, co-organizer of the event. Co-hosted by the ICBL, the Cluster Munition Coalition, Survivor Corps, Fundación Arcangeles and the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation, the Rumble in Cartagena event held on 2 December 2009 marked the anniversary of the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty and Convention on Cluster Munitions, as well as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The raucous and heartwarming evening attended by Summit delegates from throughout the world wove a wheelchair rugby match with words by key figures in promoting victim assistance and the rights of persons with disabilities. Guests including Vice-President Francisco Santos of Colombia and Prince Mired Raad Al Hussein of Jordan had a chance to have a hands-on experience with quad rugby when they joined the second part of the match.

"The Rumble in Cartagena wheelchair rugby exhibition brought disabled athletes from the United States and Colombia to face each other in a heroic display of peace and solidarity. Summit delegates witnessed a true triumph over adversity and the boundless courage of disabled athletes, some of whom were the very victims of guerilla warfare or landmine explosions," explained Salazar.

The Peace and Sports Awards reward sport initiatives and individuals who contribute to peace and social stability in the world, in areas that have been made vulnerable due to poverty, the aftermath of conflict or lack of social cohesion. The Gala Evening of the Peace and Sport International Forum is host to the awards ceremony. It will be held on 2 December 2010 at the prestigious Salle des Etoiles in Monaco.

Peace and Sports was founded in 2007 by modern pentathlon Olympic medallist and world champion Joel Bouzou, who is the current President of the organization. The organization promotes the practice of structured sport and sporting values to educate young generations and help foster social stability, reconciliation and dialogue between communities.