Edgar Renteria is one of the new Champions for Peace

08/11/2011

Colombia is currently facing important challenges for its internal security. Considering that over 40% of the population is below 18 years of age, there’s urgency to offer these young people activities which are both healthy and carry positive values and prospects for the future.

Colombia is currently facing important challenges for its internal security. Considering that over 40% of the population is below 18 years of age, there’s urgency to offer these young people activities which are both healthy and carry positive values and prospects for the future.

Béisbol por la paz is a project that seeks to come to the assistance of vulnerable youngsters in those three types of environments. Its objective is, by November 2014, to have helped more than 200 vulnerable young people, literally recruited from the street, to play baseball at least twice a week in a structured environment where they can learn values that the street can’t teach them: respect for the rules and for others, tolerance, discipline, courage, effort.

Moreover, beyond learning the values of baseball, this project also aims to enable unemployed youth to have access to basic education on crucial topics for Colombia, such as HIV- AIDS prevention, environmental protection, hygiene, democracy and citizenship.

Finally, over time, this project aims to enable these children to either (re)integrate into the scholar system or in the professional world according to their age and desire.
Béisbol por la paz is a joint effort of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), the National Federation of Colombia (Féderaciòn Colombiana de Beisbol) and Peace and Sport.

Edgar Renteria, the 35 year old Major League star born in Colombia is actually among the nine new Champions for Peace who joined the program to serve world peace through sport at the 2011 Peace and Sport International Forum held in Monaco under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco.

Renteria has played 2,152 games at the Major League level in a career started in 1996 with the Florida Marlins and that led him to represent also the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox, the Atlanta braves, the Detroit Tigers, the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds.

Renteria won the World Series in 1997 with the Marlins and in 2010 with the Giants. In the 2010 Series he was voted the MVP. As a shortstop, in his career he has won the National League Silver Slugger Award in 20002002 and 2003 and the Gold Glove in 2002 and 2003. He has appeared in the All Star Game in 1998200020032004 and 2006.

The other 8 Champions are cyclist Philippe Gilbert (Belgium), swimming legend Donna De Varona (USA), gymnastic Latin American champion Hugo Giraldo Lopez (Colombia), former European Champion in figure skating Surya Bonaly (France), former ju-jitsu World Champion Gregory Vallarino Colombia), Olympic medallist alpine skier Florence Masnada (France), multiple world champion in sambo Fedor Emelianenko (Russia), World Champion in sprint paracanoe Patrick Viriamu (French Polynesia).

During the forum took place The Peace and Sport Awards ceremony. Since 2008, theseThe logo of Piece and Sports prices reward initiatives and people who have outstandingly contributed to peace and social stability in the world through sport. The winners have implemented projects that are symbolic of what sport can accomplish to create links between divided or opposed communities.
This is the list of awards:

BEST PROJECT FOR PEACE FROM AN INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FEDERATION

To the educational program for 6-12 year old  children of IAAF.
The International Softball Federation (ISF) was amongst the nominees for their project designed to use softball to rebuild hope for young boys and girls (age 15-and-under) in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

SPORTS EVENT FOR PEACE OF THE YEAR

To the East Africa Cup, that involved Zimbabwe, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, and South Sudan with a football tournament, a volley tournament and a wheelchair volleyball tournament, plus a series of seminars

NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION FOR PEACE OF THE YEAR

To Peace Players International

BEST CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) INITIATIVE

Club Med Foundation

PEACE AND SPORT IMAGE OF THE YEAR

For a photo taken in Kabul (Afghanistan) during the international Go Skateboarding Day

SPECIAL JURY PRICE

to “Teaming up to achieve the Millenium Development Goals”, a 32 page educational comic book featuring 10 football UN Goodwill Ambassadors.

PEACE AND SPORT OFFICIAL SITE