Glasgow 2014 to go Beyond the Games with ground-breaking summit for social change

(June 16, 2014) - Glasgow 2014, the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council will break new ground for a major sport event by hosting an international summit for social change through sport. The Organising Committee and Games Partners are teaming up with global sports legacy trailblazers Beyond Sport to bring together sports and civic leaders to explore the power of the Games to advance promotion of and respect for the Commonwealth Games Federation’s core values of humanity, equality and destiny.

The event, staged in partnership with Dell, the Official IT Hardware and Data Centre Supporter of Glasgow 2014, will see equal rights, inclusion and ethics on the agenda on Monday 21 July, just two days before the Opening Ceremony. ‘Beyond The Games, powered by Dell’ will be held in Glasgow, with keynote contributors including Paralympic legend Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, IOC Executive Board Member and World Anti-Doping Association President Sir Craig Reedie, former NBA player and advocate John Amaechi, and former Unicef President Lord Puttnam.

Also contributing and engaging in in a gathering that is unprecedented in either Scottish or Commonwealth sport will be Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive David Grevemberg, Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government’s Minister for External Affairs and International Development, Councillor Archie Graham, Deputy Leader of Glasgow City Council and Executive Member for the Commonwealth Game, Mel Young, Founder of the Homeless World Cup and Rimla Akhtar, Chair of the Muslim Women's Sports Foundation. Participants will contribute to the development of a core framework of rights and values for future Commonwealth Games host cities to consider when hosting major sporting events. Unicef, one of Glasgow 2014’s Charity Partners and a Global Partner of Beyond Sport, will also play a key role in focusing debate on how future Commonwealth Games can best protect and promote children’s rights.

Beyond Sport brings together global leaders, sporting legends and world influencers from Archbishop Desmond Tutu to David Beckham to Michelle Kwan on an international platform to network, share stories of hope and innovation and to explore how using sport to address social issues in communities can trigger social change.

Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, David Grevemberg, said:

“Glasgow 2014 is a diverse and inclusive organisation and we want to use the power of the Commonwealth Games to create a legacy of which Glasgow, Scotland and the wider Commonwealth can be proud. Beyond the Games is the perfect stage for us to work with people involved in using sport to drive positive social change both locally and internationally as part of that legacy.”

Nick Keller, Founder of Beyond Sport, commented:

"The Commonwealth is home to more than two billion people from an unimaginably diverse range of backgrounds. Sport is one of the few things that almost all of them have in common and provides a unique platform to drive positive social change. 60% of Commonwealth citizens are under the age of 30 and the way in which those young people interact with each other will have a major effect on the world stage in the years and decades to come."

Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow City Council, said:

“Sport is a great way to bring people together, and as one of the biggest sporting competitions in the world, the Commonwealth Games provide an ideal platform to spread the message of a social legacy through such events. The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games will leave a lasting social legacy, and I look forward to the Beyond Sport conference exploring these issues next month.”

Minister for External Affairs and International Development, Humza Yousaf, said:

“The Scottish Government is committed to creating an equal and fair society for everyone, built on the values of a nation free from prejudice, discrimination and victimisation. The Beyond the Games conference is the first such event to take place during any Commonwealth Games event and I welcome the fact that it is happening here in Scotland during 2014. We want anyone who visits Scotland to be left in no doubt about our values as a welcoming and inclusive society.”

Ishbell MacPhail, General Manager for Scotland and North at Dell, said:

“A convergence of energy, time and spirit will culminate in the delivery of an incredible Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. In the same way that Dell technology will connect and support the infrastructure for Glasgow 2014 and its athletes, we are delighted to bring together the worlds of sport, business and social change at Beyond The Games.”

Tom Burstow, UNICEF UK Commonwealth Games Project Director, said:

“UNICEF and Glasgow 2014’s groundbreaking partnership will harness the power of sport to save and change children’s lives in Scotland and throughout the Commonwealth. Beyond the Games provides a unique opportunity to share the ways in which the Commonwealth Games can promote and protect children’s rights, drawing on the experience of Glasgow and looking forward to the Gold Coast and beyond.”

ENDS