Global Sport Fund

Dutch footballer Ronald de Boer.UNODC and the Qatar National Olympic Committee (QNOC) officially launched the Global Sport Fund in May, at an event featuring professional athletes and schoolchildren.

The athletes held sporting exhibitions and talked with the schoolchildren about the importance of a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. They emphasized that sport is about tolerance and cooperation as much as competition.

"When you play sport, it's important to respect yourself, your mind and your body," Dutch footballer Ronald de Boer told the schoolchildren. "You can't play well or with focus if you're involved in drugs or distracted by peer pressure."

The Global Sport Fund (GSF), made possible by a generous contribution from Qatar, will provide grants to NGOs for projects that use sport to prevent drug use and criminal behaviour among young people. It will sponsor events, youth camps and exhibitions and hold training seminars for coaches and young people.

The creation of the GSF was inspired by the success of UNODC and QNOC in organizing the 2003 Football without Borders camp that brought together young people from Qatar, Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait.

Based in Doha, Qatar, the GSF will reach out to young people and organizations worldwide.

UNODC Executive Director Costa (centre) at the GSF launch
in Doha.

For more information, please visit www.globalsportfund.com