Earthdreams takes Honda Racing F1 Team ‘Beyond Sport’
The Honda Racing F1 Team has been announced as the first corporate partner of Beyond Sport, a major new global sports initiative launched in London yesterday by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Beyond Sport seeks to identify the world’s most inspirational sports projects, people and organisations, celebrate their achievements, identify why they succeed and use them to inspire others.
As the first corporate partner, the Honda Racing F1 Team is leading the way through its earthdreams programme. earthdreams is a global initiative that is supporting and empowering a range of environmental projects focusing on the themes of mobility, technology, sustainability and education. The Team is currently involved with nine projects and plans to be supporting 30 projects worldwide by 2009.
The Honda Racing F1 Team’s partnership with Beyond Sport was further reinforced by the announcement that Nick Fry, the team’s Chief Executive Officer, is to be the first Global Corporate Ambassador for Beyond Sport, championing at a corporate level the ethos and impact of the Beyond Sport Awards and its partnership with earthdreams.
Nick Fry commented: “Formula One is about leading and innovating and that is why we have developed earthdreams and supported, in “pole position”, Beyond Sport; the first global showcase dedicated entirely to sport being used as an agent of positive change. earthdreams is the first global positive marketing programme; raising awareness of environmental issues and channelling funds and support to environmental solutions through a global funding network of projects and initiatives.
He continued: “Sport carries a hugely powerful message and we are going “beyond sport” to harness that message in a unique, positive and impactful way - powering dreams, one lap at a time.”
Also present at the London launch of Beyond Sport were Lord Coe, Chairman of London 2012 and Vice President of the IAAF; Sir Keith Mills, Deputy Chairman, London 2012 and Sir Martin Sorrell, Chief Executive of WPP, to name but a few of the leading figures from the worlds of sport, business and media.
Tony Blair is Chairman of the Beyond Sport Ambassadors, a group of high profile individuals including:
- Lord Coe, Chairman, London 2012 & Vice President, IAAF
- Jahangir Khan (Six-Time World Squash Champion)
- Former US Senator Bill Bradley (Ex-NBA champion and former serving Democratic Senator)
- Simon Fuller (Founder, 19 Management)
- Donna de Verona (US Olympian and Campaigner for Women’s Sport)
- Lucas Radebe (FIFA Ambassador for SOS Children’s Village and South Africa’s most-capped footballer)
The ambassadors will each have a role in the Beyond Sport judging process that will recognise individuals, projects and organisations that fulfilled the Beyond Sport mission.
Beyond Sport comprises three core elements:
- An annual two-day Forum which will inform, connect and stimulate, focusing on sport’s position as a facilitator of social change. A unique gathering of the world’s most influential people, comprising political leaders, CEOs, social entrepreneurs, sports industrialists and global media, the inaugural Beyond Sport Forum will take place in London in 2009 at which Mr Blair will deliver the keynote address.
- An annual Awards ceremony, chaired by Tony Blair, to recognise and reward those individuals, projects and organisations that have created positive social change through sport.
- A Foundation to fund innovative, cutting-edge, entrepreneurial projects, people and charities recognised by the Beyond Sport Awards, in order that Beyond Sport projects become fully sustainable. Funds will be raised through Beyond Sport initiatives and corporate and philanthropic donations.
