(2 December 2025, Milano, Italy) Ahead of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide and the GARIWO Foundation organized a high-level panel discussion on the unique role of sport in fostering peaceful, inclusive and just societies, and in preventing genocide and other atrocity crimes. The event, organized in Milano, Italy, on 29 November, builds upon GARIWO’s ongoing exhibition on “The Righteous in Sports”, which highlights extraordinary stories of individual athletes who risked their lives to stand up for what is right, in different difficult periods of our recent history.
A panel which featured extraordinary stories by Mr. Eric Eugène Murangwa, former football player and survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda who founded “Football for Hope, Peace and Unity”, Ms. Salima Souakri, Algerian judo champion, best judoka in Africa and UNICEF’s Goodwill Ambassador; Mr. Marc Zoro a humanitarian and former Côte d’Ivoire football player who became a global symbol of fight against racism when he stopped his team’s match because of abuse from the stands; and Darwin Pastorin, a renewed journalist who has been bringing to light stories of countering discrimination in sports for decades and continues to stress the power of athletes to leverage sports for good, with a particular focus on the African continent.
The panel was complemented with video interventions by Ms. Larissa Lapichino, a long jumper European Athletics Champion and role model who reminded that the ripple effect of inclusivity in sport cannot be understated; and Mr. Rish Jain, the Director of Impact at Liverpool Football Club who shared the model example of club’s implementation of the UN’s Plan of Action for Countering Hate Speech through Engagement with Sport (“Game Plan”)United Nations Game Plan for Countering Hate Speech through the Engagement with Sport.
A special featured participation of Mr. Mauro Bencich, coach of the Panafrica Bresso4 team - who attended with a delegation of his team, highlighted grassroots perspectives on how sport can foster inclusion and civic responsibility. Bresso4 is a community-based football project in northern Milan that brings together young players from diverse African diasporas.
As recognized in the Game Plan, and in the GARIWO’s Charter for Sports, sport is one of the most universal connective tissues which bonds humanity, fostering respect and inclusion; whilst calling out and countering hate and incitement to violence. As it was reminded by all speakers – sports changed their lives, and it can change societies. This transformational role of sports must be used for good.
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ABOUT GARIWO FOUNDATION - Gariwo is the acronym of Gardens of the Righteous Worldwide. Founded in 1999 by Gabriele Nissim, Pietro Kuciukian, Ulianova Radice, and Anna Maria Samuelli, Gariwo is dedicated to spreading the stories of the Righteous and promoting them through educational initiatives, editorial projects, and public events. In 2003, the first Garden of the Righteous Worldwide was inaugurated in Milan, managed by Gariwo in collaboration with the Municipality of Milan. Today, there are over 300 Gardens of the Righteous worldwide, and thanks to Gariwo’s efforts, the European Day of the Righteous was established by the European Parliament in 2012 and has been recognized as a civic observance in Italy since 2017.
ABOUT THE OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL ADVISER ON THE PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE – The Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide works to promote awareness of the causes and dynamics of genocide, alert the United Nations system and relevant actors where there is a risk of genocide, and advocate and mobilize appropriate action. Since 2019, the Special Adviser also acts as the United Nations systemwide focal point to coordinate and support the implementation of the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.
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For media queries please contact:
Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect
http://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention
Email: [email protected]
