After a successful season with in particular two Grand Slam finals, Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur was awarded the Peace Champion of the Year Prize during the Peace and Sports Awards ceremony 2022. She follows in the footsteps of French basketball player Rudy Gobert, Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, and international footballers Lionel Messi and Blaise Matuidi.
This awards ceremony was held during the 13th Peace and Sport International Forum on November 30 in Monaco. Organised at the same time as the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the Forum gathered numerous stakeholders of the sport industry to deepen the reflection on the topic “Sport is an answer for peace”. This prize rewards the Tunisian champ’s investment towards youth, and comforts her status of the most iconic Arab sportswoman in the industry.
« First of all, I would like to thank Peace and Sport for this Peace Champion of the Year 2022 Award. I am very honored and proud to receive this prize. », declared Ons Jabeur.
« Being considered as an athlete who conveys the image of peace throughout the world is a true reward for me. I always wanted to share my story, my experience and to inspire the younger generations to achieve their dreams. I want to prove that everything is possible, wherever you come from, and whatever your resources are. Sport unites everyone and conveys the value of sharing. It is for this reason that I am so honored to be chosen as the Champion of Peace 2022 and to add my name next to such inspiring and engaged figures. »
Joël Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and sport, declared:
« I am delighted to hand over the Champion of Peace 2022 Award to the Tunisian professional tennis player Ons Jabeur. Thanks to her story and experience, Ons Jabeur embodies the values of respect, tolerance and fair-play. These are the values which make her such a role model and which can show the way for more inclusive and fair societies. Ons Jabeur inspires young generations worldwide, pushing them to achieve their dreams, independently of their gender or origins. It is a great honor to welcome her in our Champions of Peace Club. »
Conscious that athletes are also citizens who can carry a societal role, the international organization Peace and Sport has created the Champions of Peace Club, a group bringing together over 120 sports figures of around 40 nationalities from the 5 continents. Heroes, models, and sources of inspiration for young people worldwide, they give a part of their time, of their fame and of their athletes experience in the service of projects that use sport to bring solutions for social, economic and educational matters.
