Tonight, at the U.S. Open in New York City, the doubles team of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi will be playing the Bryan twins for the title. Both doubles teams are exceptionally talented and carry themselves in a way that is a model for all athletes. Bopanna, from India, and Qureshi, from Pakistan, however, are garnering a bit more attention due to the nature of their relationship.
We covered these guys in June as they played at Wimbledon. They are more than aware of their role as ambassadors, not just of sports, but of diplomacy and friendship. India and Pakistan have alternately existed as mortal enemies and cautious neighbors. We believe it is too much to ask for two men playing a sport to create a momentous change in the relations of their respective countries. But it is not too much for us to recognize their efforts and take the necessary little steps to find ways to find compromise for the betterment of the citizens of India and Pakistan and the world at large. The doubles team show through their hard work and commitment to each other in sport that common ground can be found on a larger scale. Good luck tonight guys.
Please find our original posting below. And to read just one of the many, many articles about Bopanna and Qureshi that have come out in the past few days, please click here to go to CNN.com.
June 25, 2010
Indian and Pakistani players join forces to promote peace through Wimbledon
Our friends at Peace and Sport sent us the following press release that we were so impressed with that we are presenting it here in its entirety. We applaud the players, Lotto, Peace and Sport, and Wimbledon for working together to bring this important message, in a tangible way, to the forefront.
Indian and Pakistani players join forces to promote peace through Wimbledon
London 21 June, 2010 – Lotto testimonials Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Indian and Pakistani respectively, have decided to join forces as a doubles team at Wimbledon to help promote peace.
The two players, along with Peace and Sport, the Monaco-based and neutral international organization that works towards bringing together divided communities worldwide by encouraging dialogue and reconciliation through sport, have decided to team up at this prestigious sporting event, in order to help maintain and promote peace in their neighbouring countries.
Together with their technical supplier, Lotto Sport Italia, Bopanna and Qureshi have decided to promote this initiative by designing specially made t-shirts and sweatshirts with the high impact slogan “Stop War, Start Tennis”. The t-shirt will be worn during training sessions, whilst the sweatshirt will be used when entering the court before play.
Rohan, currently ranked 54th doubles player in the world, and Aisam, currently ranked 46th, have been friends for over ten years and have teamed up successfully for the last three years. Their respective countries have lived in a situation of unease and tension in the region of Kashmir since it won its independence from the British Empire in 1947. Peace and Sport would like to emphasise how much sport unites, as highlighted by the two players’ partnership.
The two tennis stars took the initiative to promote peace through sport after having noticed that communities from both countries forget hostility when they support them in international competitions. Indeed, during the first ATP tournament in Mumbai in 2007, Pakistani flags were waved inside the stadium during the final.
With the message “Stop War! Start Tennis!” Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi remind us that sport is a universal language that facilitates dialogue, going beyond political, racial, religious, ethnical and social differences.
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, said: « Rohan and Aisam are big stars in their respective countries. Their story of friendship through sport is a real inspiration for youngsters. By transmitting a message of peace, they hope to change the mentalities and attitudes in India and Pakistan as well as other areas of the world destabilized by conflict. We are extremely proud to support this message that will benefit from the extensive publicity that Wimbledon attracts.
Alberto Fraticelli Marketing & Communications Director, from Lotto Sport Italia adds : « It is with great pleasure and good will that we decided to develop this initiative, in fact we already support “FreeFromLaces”, the movement that through blogs, forums, social networks, music and video, collects and proposes to the entire web community content and ideas that invite the user to reflect and ponder on “laces” that limit our daily routine: those personal, mental, virtual, social, cultural and physical ties that often seem impossible to untie. Through their initiative and personal backgrounds, Aisam et Rohan are perfect incarnations of this philosophy; thanks to sport we can rise above the hate and prejudice that condemns mankind to perpetual conflict, and we are extremely proud to have international representation of our brand, through players like Rohan and Aisam.”
PRESS RELEASE Contact : Valérie Amant – valamant@yahoo.fr – +33.(0)6.83.37.66.21 The photo attached is copyright free. Credit: LOTTO/PEACE AND SPORT
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