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Right To Play promises 2010 presence, despite IOC

Founder Johann Koss takes recreation to the ends of the earth
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Just Koss Right To Play founder Johann Koss pledged to have a presence in Whistler in 2010 — with or without the support of the International Olympic Committee. Photo by Right To Play

In a world where wars and poverty take their annual toll, one of the most powerful images, a symbol of a return to some kind of normalcy, is children playing. In Iraq and Afghanistan the soldiers were working to open playgrounds and sports fields long before they could establish any kind of government or hold elections. For children to be children they need a safe place to play.

That's where Right To Play comes in. Going back 15 years to the Winter Games in Lillehammer, Right To Play is an athlete-driven, Canadian-based organization that partners with groups like the International Olympic Committee, United Nations, and international aid agencies to create recreation programs in countries affected by war, poverty and disease in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

But while the organization was born in the Olympic movement through the Olympic Aid program it is now a separate entity that in 2010 will not be allowed to have a presence in the athletes' villages in Whistler or Vancouver.

In January, Right to Play founder and chief executive Johann Koss learned that the International Olympic Committee would not allow Right To Play at any official 2010 venues because of conflicting sponsors. While he was disappointed by the IOC's response - Right To Play is represented by 300 athletes, many of them Olympians - he has tried to look on the bright side. While they will be denied access to the Games, he said the issue did bring new attention and support to the Right To Play movement, while reaffirming his own commitment to have a presence in Vancouver and Whistler in 2010.

On Monday, Koss addressed a group of business leaders from Vancouver and Whistler at Maggie Thornhill's real estate sales office in Creekside, to discuss how best to promote Right To Play during the Games. That event was closed to the media, but they expect to have some details to announce to the public soon.

Koss says he understands the decision that was made to exclude Right To Play, but says the organization's work is too important to step aside completely.

"I think we were disappointed that it had come to this, that something that was established in the Olympics would not be a part of the 2010," said Koss. "On the other hand it created opportunities for us, and it generated support and interest from a lot of people who have contacted us with offers to help.

"We don't know what we might have accomplished working together (with the IOC), but we do know what we can do now. There will be a presence in Vancouver and Whistler, and Right To Play will come out of the Games stronger."

The demand for Right To Play programs is currently increasing faster than the organization can match. It's been a violent start to the 21 st century and some of the worst conflicts are the ones that people know the least about, Koss says.

"Last year we received requests for programs by more than 600 groups or individuals, that's 600 requests for help, and we just couldn't do it. We don't have that capacity or funding," Koss said.

That's not to say that Right To Play hasn't made progress. From 2001 to 2007, Right To Play has increased enrollment in programs from 37,178 children to 723,761 children. They had 12 projects underway in seven countries in 2001, and 56 projects in 23 countries in 2007. Right To Play is currently active in Azerbaijan, Benin, Chad, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Zambia.

Koss would like to expand to other war-torn countries, notably Sudan and Afghanistan, but he says they need to partner with aid agencies on the ground to deliver programs and there is too much fighting for that to happen. Iraq's GDP is too high to qualify, and the area is already receiving aid.

To qualify, a country has to be extremely poor, with an annual GDP of less than US$1,000 per person, and it costs roughly $50 per year, per child to provide programming.

Right To Play is about more than playgrounds and pick-up games of soccer. Their programs and activities centre around four main areas:

• Basic Education and Child Development - fostering physical, cognitive and social development of children to teach important values and life skills;

• Health Promotion and Disease Awareness - educating and mobilizing communities around national health and disease prevention priorities, including HIV and AIDS, malaria and immunization programs;

• Conflict Resolution and Peace Education - teaching conflict resolution and peace building skills, as participation in activities encourages the healing of communities and the reintegration of children affected by war;

• Community Development - working with local organizations to build community infrastructure, including playgrounds and sports fields, by engaging local staff and volunteers.

Currently more than 300 athletes from 40 countries around the world serve as Right To Play ambassadors. Koss himself was an Olympic speed skater with four Olympic gold medals to his credit, and in Whistler he was assisted by Olympic rower Silken Laumann.

The longest list of athletes is from Canada, and includes sprinter Donovan Bailey, triathlete Jasper Blake, active members of the alpine, freestyle, snowboard and cross-country ski teams, and a wide range of professional hockey and football players. Some athletes make donations, others promote Right To Play in the community, and some go abroad to work as volunteers for Right To Play programs.

Koss has seen firsthand the impact of his programs, and success stories where Right To Play was part of the equation to create normalcy in countries, along with other types of aid.

"We've seen a reduction in the rates of AIDS and HIV in some countries where the infection rate is 10 to 60 per cent, and I believe we can reduce it to zero," he said. "We've increased attendance at school, we've better academic performance, we've bettered nutrition. There are more girls participating every year, and participants are staying in school and not dropping out.

"Through our conflict resolution and peace education we've seen a reduction in aggressive behaviour, especially in areas where there have been ongoing problems with violence and the children are traumatized by it. The more we do the more positive results we see."

The results prove the positive impact of recreation in communities, which Koss says is often undervalued when compared to meeting other needs for people impacted by war and poverty. He says that's shifting, and now recreation is considered part of any long-term aid project.

"(Recreation) has been looked on as a luxury for communities and not as something that a community needs, but all the research... shows that it's very important to the success of aid programs," said Koss. "Even in Canada we see how kids that participate in sports do better in school and have fewer health problems. The world is shifting to preventative medicine to save money on health care, but we believe recreation is a preventative cure for other issues as well like war and poverty."

Right now the closest Right To Play fundraising event is a golf tournament in Vancouver on May 29, but Koss would like to see some kind of lasting presence in Whistler given the emphasis on recreation among residents and the resort's international status.

"We would love to have a yearly event in Whistler, but more important, to have a lasting presence here," said Koss.

Right To Play's website is www.righttoplay.com.