On Saturday, 29 November, the final day of GariwoNetwork 2025, the panel “Beyond the Game: When Sport Is Righteous” was held, organized in collaboration with the UN Office on the Prevention of Genocide. The event explored the role of sport as a universal language capable of fostering respect, countering hate, and strengthening human rights.
The panel brought together significant voices and testimonies, beginning with Eric Eugène Murangwa, former goalkeeper of Rayon Sports and survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, who now works with the Ishami Foundation to promote peace through football. During the event, a collection of sports equipment was organized for young people in Rwanda, a concrete gesture to support his educational work.
Joining him were journalist Darwin Pastorin, a long-time interpreter of sport as a space for democratic culture; Marc-André Zoro, former Ivorian defender remembered for his stand against racism in 2005; Rishi Jain, Director of Impact at Liverpool FC and promoter of community inclusion projects; Larissa Iapichino, European long jump champion; Salima Souakri, former Algerian judo champion and UNICEF ambassador; Gabriele Nissim, President of Gariwo Foundation; Dalila Sadinlija, UN Office on the Prevention of Genocide; and Mauro Bencich, coach of the Panafrica Bresso4 team. The panel was moderated by Joshua Evangelista, Gariwo’s Communications Manager.
Within the broader framework of GariwoNetwork 2025, the panel offered a concrete perspective on how sport can become a tool for civic awareness, the fight against hatred, and the construction of the fundamental values of democratic life.
