1 December 2022

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear Friends,

As I look out into the General Assembly today, there are relative many of us here. But not nearly the number of spectators who would be attending a major sports event.

Today the World Cup is underway, with shouts of “goal” or expressions of disappointment echoing through the halls.  

Athletes – men and women alike – are among the most powerful and influential people in the world. 

They are role models looked up to by millions of young people around the globe.

I don’t think any young people today are wearing jerseys with our names on them. 

If we want to make change, to transform the world, we must include sports and athletes in our work.

Where politics and ideology can divide, forcing animosity and separation,  sport brings together people in peaceful competition.   

It has the ability to break down racial and other barriers, combat discrimination, and defuse conflict. 

Sport is a platform to combat some of the gravest dangers the world faces today.

It is not surprising that our SDGs bring together sport, peace and development. 

Athletes and fans can join forces to be powerful advocates for action.

As the great Latin writer Publilius Syrus once said, ”Where there is unity, there is always victory.”

But it is also up to us to make sporting events models of respectable behaviour.

Of fighting violence against women and girls.

Or of combatting stigma, such as against people with HIV or AIDS.

Just a few examples, and ones that are supported by the wording in the draft resolution.

I want to thank the co-chairs of the Group of Friends of Sport for Sustainable Development, Qatar and Monaco, for their contributions and support to this resolution.

I encourage all Member states to preserve the unifying spirit of sports and the Olympic movement.

It is far more promising to the world if nations compete on the fields of sports than on the battle fields. The former makes us more noble and stronger, the latter leaves death and devastation behind.

Yes, we are living in a volatile world with deep divisions. Yet, in my view, sport and its organizations should remain inclusive.

We should not forget that it is much more desirable to end armed conflicts than to end cooperation. 

Sport is a solid common base for many of us, but it is also about willpower and perseverance.

Or, as put by Pelé, who would not need an introduction, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, learning, sacrifice and most of all, love of what we are doing”.

Thank you.