Pakistan, India kids nominated for Peace and Sport Award

Arman, Riaan raised white cards in a video for their April6 initiative to promote harmony between two neighbours

KARACHI:

The peace initiative between India and Pakistan with boys Riaan and Arman’s video “HOPE FOR PEACE” has been nominated for the Peace and Sport Award at Peace and Sport International Forum in Monaco on November 30.

The video featuring eight-year-old Riaan from Kolkata and 11-year-old Arman from Islamabad showed the children holding white cards for peace and unity between the two neighbours.

“The whole idea is to make the children of the new generation believe in peace from an early age. Only if you start thinking about peace without any preconceived notion, only then will you be able to bring change to this 75-year-old problem and succeed where generations before them failed in every sense. Sport is the best tool to teach children about peace,” Rahul Mukherji, who will be representing this initiative at the award ceremony, told The Express Tribune.

There are three nominations for the April6 Initiative of the Year, in which Mexico's Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú para el Deporte’s Project 6 ‘till the 6th and Estonian Olympic Committee – Project Üheskoos have also been shortlisted.

There are three more categories for sports, and Riaan and Arman's are the only entry from Asia.

“Arman is an 11-year-old boy from Islamabad, Pakistan and Riaan is an 8-year-old boy from Kolkata, India. By raising their #WhiteCards, they sparked a message of hope, dialogue and peace on the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace 2022 (April 6th). Through this symbolic gesture, they were not just making a gesture of peace and friendship towards each other, but for their countries, and the world, highlighting how sport can and should unite and foster dialogue. Their joint video on social media got important media coverage in South Asia,” read the press release.

Previously India’s Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s Aisamul Haq Qureshi won the award for promoting peace between the two neighbouring countries in 2010.

On the award’s page it reads that Armaan and Riaan’s effort on the International Day of Sports for Development and Peace sent the message of hope, dialogue and peace for their countries and the entire world.