Highlights of the four-day programme will include previous British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chairman of the Beyond Sport Ambassadors, and four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson 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.
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, musician Danny K, and Lucas Radebe, the former captain of the South African 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 summit will also see the winners of the 2011 Beyond Sport Awards announced. No less than 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 a social impact with influential figures from the worlds of business, government and federations, whose attitudes and decisions can have substantial impact in the field.
