New York Marathon on November 6th

Here are some news from our college Alyn Ware who is going to run the New York marathon.

 

 

This coming Sunday November 6, Alyn will be running the New York marathon as part of the Peace and Sport Team, led by Tegla Loroube, first African women to win the NY marathon and founder of the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation. The team also includes Paula Radcliffe (current world record holder for the women’s marathon) and Wilson Kipketer (triple 800m world Champion).

The Peace and Sport Team is running to raise funds and promote Peace and Sport programs for youth in conflict zones (including Burundi, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Haiti, Israel/Palestine and Timor Leste, with more being developed).

Alyn is personally running to raise funds for the Israel/Palestine program which runs a range of youth sports activities - including table tennis, chess and martial arts - in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and other places in the West Bank and Israel.

The capacity of sports to transcend the political divides in the Middle East was well demonstrated at the Peace and Sport Forum in Monaco last week where His Excellency Manuel Hassassian (Ambassador – Palestinian General Delegation to the United Kingdom) and Mr. Avraham Burg (former speaker of the Knesset) described successes of Peace Sports programs in Israel/Palestine and the possibilities for a deeper peace through the use of sport (See How the sports movement can pave the way for the future in the Middle East and Mifalot Community Sports).

Following the marathon Alyn has been invited to Jordan to work with government officials, parliamentarians and disarmament experts from Israel, the Arab countries and Iran, on a proposal to establish the Middle East as a Zone Free of Nuclear Weapons and other Weapons of Mass Destruction. Last week they released a Joint Parliamentary Statement supporting the initiative (See MPs supporting a nuclear weapon-free Middle East).

Alyn hopes to raise up to $4000 to contribute to the Middle East Peace and Sport Programs through the marathon run. We invite you to donate if you have not already done so;

Checks can be sent to Sports and Peace Marathon, PO Box 24-429, Manners Street, Wellington, New Zealand (NZ$)

Or to Alyn Ware, 866 UN Plaza, Suite 4050, New York NY 10017, USA (US$).

Direct debit to Sports and Peace Marathon, Westpac Bank (NZ) number: 03-0510-0024678-00, or

Online donation by credit card at www.peace-sport.org/ING-NYC-Marathon-2011/alyn-ware.html (click on donate)

Sport and Peace marathon team members training in Monaco

For more information see www.peace-sport.org.