South African Embassy hosts Nelson Mandela Soccer Cup 2017

The South African Embassy under the sponsorship of the Sports for All Department of the Public Authority of Sports will host the 1st Nelson Mandela Soccer Tournament for youth development on 18 Feb 2017 from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm. The event will feature young soccer players from various schools representing all the Governorates in Kuwait and will take place at the Mishref Sports Yard. The Nelson Mandela Soccer Tournament aims to celebrate and honor the legacy of former President Nelson Mandela in line with the objectives of the United Nations Nelson Mandela International Day under the Theme: “Take Action - Inspire Change - Make Every Day#MANDELADAY”.

The event is aimed at celebrating President Mandela’s life and legacy, honor his life’s work and inspire individuals and communities to take action to change the world for the better. The event will also be a tribute to His Highness, the Amir of the State of Kuwait for being honored by the United Nations as the Global Humanitarian Leader and the State of Kuwait as the Global Humanitarian Centre. The tournament also coincides with the festive celebrations of the 56th Anniversary of the Independence of Kuwait, the 26th Anniversary of the Liberation of Kuwait and the 11thanniversary of assumption of power by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Nelson Mandela is considered one of the world’s most significant moral and principled champions for freedom and democracy. He was very instrumental in the leadership collective of the liberation movement that fought for freedom and democracy in South Africa. More importantly, Nelson Mandela is internationally revered as an icon in the fight for justice, human rights, non-racialism, national reconciliation and nation building. In order to preserve his visionary legacy, South Africans and the international community celebrate Nelson Mandela Day every year in promoting his enduring values of justice and progressive internationalism.

Sport has played an important role in the history of South Africa. The international sports sanctions to isolate the apartheid regime and the utilization of sports by Nelson Mandela to bring about national reconciliation and social cohesion in South Africa’s democratic transition remain important milestones in the country’s history. We hope that the Nelson Mandela Tournament will create awareness on the significance of the values that Nelson Mandela represents and the power of sports in bringing people from different nationalities and background together.