Justine Hénin

For the fifth consecutive year, UNESCO has participated in the ‘Paris Stade Francais Youth Tennis Open – BNP Paribas Cup’, an international tournament organized over the past 18 years by the Stade Francais tennis club. This year’s competition was held from 9-15 July with the participation of young tennis-players aged 13 to 14 years from more than 60 countries.

On this occasion, visitors to the village and the young athletes have been offered a series of educational workshops and games on a variety of topics related to UNESCO’s areas of expertise. During the opening of the village (9 July, 1 pm), Justine Henin, a UNESCO Champion for Sport, spoke to the young people about doping in sport and sporting ethics.

The workshops on the programme include, “sport and education”, which explored the values central to sport; “Champions in the Head”, an interactive workshop which gives concrete reference points to young athletes, their parents and trainers to teach them how to manage pressure, as well as “education for sustainable development”, which aims to raise the awareness of young people to the importance of sustainable development, including the links between consumption and the sustaianable development.

This year, the UNESCO Village occupied a central place of more than 500 square meters at the tournament, offering a range of activities up until 15 July devoted to development of values in sport, such as team spirit, integrity and mutual respect.

For UNESCO, this effort to sensitize young athletes to sporting values - fair play, honesty, dignity, respect and team spirit – is essential in the fight against doping. A workshop on prohibited substances and methods as well as doping control procedures will also be offered to parents and coaches.

The week-long activities included a cultural evening at UNESCO Headquarters on July 12 at 7.30 p.m. The young athletes have been invited to present their countries and their cultures in the form of songs, dances and other artistic demonstrations.