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Changing the World

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Changing the World INTERVIEW | GOVERNANCE Wilfried Lemke, photographed at the Peace and Sport forum in Monaco on Thursday 2nd December 2010 CHANGinG THE WORLD Wilfried Lemke, the special adviser to the United Nations secretary-general on sport for development and peace, has served as a politician and a diplomat, but insists his heart has always been with his first love: sport. By Adam Fraser. Photographs by Graham Fudger “I’m very disappointed,” says Wilfried in the Weserstadion. But as it is obviously party politics – this was also very interesting Lemke, and the German is clearly good to speak badly about Africa, they found because I could see it from another point speaking from the heart. “I was very, this story about rats in the stadium in Jo’burg. of view: what could I do to provide support very disappointed that day by day, week by How unfair.” in the area of sport? So I never lost the week, journalists wrote very negative stories 18 years working for Werder Bremen in connection to sport.” about the World Cup in South Africa.” the Weserstadion only scratches the surface 18 years at Werder Bremen followed, between Lemke, the special adviser to the United of Lemke’s career. Before his appointment 1981 and 1999, during which the club were Nations secretary-general on sport for at the club, he had worked in both education Bundesliga champions twice, runners-up four development and peace, is not blind to the and politics; always, it must be said, keeping times, won the DFB Cup on three occasions problems Africa faces. In fact, his role – one and added the 1991 Uefa Cup Winners’ Cup. in which, on appointment, UN secretary- “And afterwards,” says Lemke, “as a minister general Ban Ki-moon placed the continent “Why don’t you let the people – we call it senator in Germany, senator of as his first priority – demands that he be fully of Haiti or Brazil work in these education, science, the interior and sports – I aware of them. A veteran of the worlds of places, why do you send also came back to sport. I am telling you this sport and politics, though, he also knows because now you can see: this man comes when those issues are being twisted – or English or German or from sport. I’m not like some people that I’ve created – by the media. Almost two decades French guys there?” met, both in sport and politics, who have no spent as general manager of Werder Bremen, clue about their job because they are lawyers his hometown soccer club, allows him to or they are businessmen and they’ve got this offer an immediate example. “I was so angry an involvement in sport that had first job, plus this job, and here they are, clueless – I found a long article in some newspaper manifested itself with some promising about sport and development: what does it about rats in the stadium in Johannesburg,” athletics results as a child. “For a 100 metre mean for poor people? For rich people? For he recalls, speaking at December’s Peace runner, 10.7 was not too bad when I was a the athletes? For elite athletes? They have no and Sport forum in Monaco. “Four weeks, young boy,” he smiles. “But unfortunately I idea about this. But with my background, I eight weeks before it starts, an article about was a lazybones and, of course, I’m not like feel very confident in my position. I’m very rats in the cellars. And this was just another a sprinter today – a sprinter is like that,” he happy in this job, in this age – I will not occasion to write in a bad way about the adds, stretching his hand up above his head. have a long career after this but I really enjoy South African World Cup. I worked 18 years “So I had no chance to be better than 10.3 or bringing people together, fostering projects, in the Weserstadion and we had rats all over so. But this was my first experience, myself, supporting projects, using sport to enhance for decades – because we are very near the being an athlete. Secondly I became a sports development and peace. It’s wonderful.” waterside, and when the water rises the rats teacher. Thirdly I worked in the field of how Lemke’s enthusiasm for his work makes came out and came to our stadium – and to educate sports teachers, how to train them sense, since his is the definition of a job never did one journalist write about the rats at university. Then I went for some years into done for love not money: his annual UN 88 | SportsProMedia.com SportsPro Magazine | 89 INTERVIEW | GOVERNANCE salary is US$1. He was appointed to his the people of Haiti or Brazil work in these get the local authorities to be involved. The stinging criticism from many quarters at the role by Ban Ki-moon in 2008, a year after places, why do you send English or German people with whom you work, they have to be continent’s first Fifa World Cup. “I think it is the South Korean was named UN secretary- or French guys there?’ You can send one involved. These are my criteria, these are good very, very important to have these big events,” general, and was given a specific mandate but supervisor there, I agree, but I would never working odds as I see it.” he continues. “Because these big events are a large degree of flexibility. “The mandate is work with only coaches from Germany or Sticking to those criteria has led Lemke something like engines, I always have this clear. For the UN, I have to be a representative, from UK. To teach the teachers, to coach the to discover some truly memorable projects picture of a train: the engine is the big events an advocate and a facilitator in the field of coaches, I agree. But I wouldn’t send a coach around the world. He names two that together with the elite sports athletes. They are sport as a tool for social change and peace for a long time period to these countries.” particularly stick in his mind. “A Brazilian the engine of the train. Then you have wagons, promotion,” he explains. “This is the mandate That, Lemke explains, is not merely a project in Haiti – Viva Rio, it’s called; it’s also a lot of wagons, and in all the wagons you have of my job. But then, I was allowed by the question of money. As well as putting the supported by the Norwegian government – people who love sport. They are all part of the secretary-general to have priorities, to set my sustainability of a project at risk, parachuting and I found a UK support project in a favela large sport family. You need big sport events own priorities within the general UN mandate. in people, views and opinions from outside in Rio de Janeiro called Fight for Peace: first because people are excited. In South Africa, The first priority is given by him: Africa. He runs the risk of misidentifying the challenge, class, unbelievable, wonderful. One retired people really came together.” The event has told me, ‘Africa is the most suffering continent trampling over local customs and alienating man works with two coaches in Haiti, and he’s left, Lemke believes, a real hope for the future. so take care of Africa.’ This is a very important the very people who are supposedly being so serious and such a wonderful man. I really As for the future of his own project, priority of mine. Then I found out that helped. The money, meanwhile, can quickly appreciate his work, and the same in Rio – it’s Lemke’s ambitions are simple. “To use our there are wonderful young men and women dry up, especially if it is coming from just a British guy, a former boxer, 35-years-old or possibilities in a smarter way. As I told you, working in the field of sport without any one source. “Sustainability is a very, very so, working in a very, very dangerous favela. I’m quite sure that we really burn money in formal education, coming from the poorest important word. It has a meaning,” says And he does a tremendous job. I visited the all parts of the so-called developing world,” areas where no hope is, where no future is, Lemke. “The United Nations doesn’t want project, and he brought me into the favela, he says. But he is confident that progress is where it’s really a very tough reality. These saying, ‘Don’t worry, the policemen with the being made, and, most importantly, that sport are my second priority, these young boys and machine guns are not allowed to come with is now being recognised as a genuine tool for girls, 20 to 25-year-olds: how can I foster “Don’t worry, the policemen us. We’ll go on our own.’ And there we were development by people at the very top of them on behalf of the United Nations? in the favela, followed by ten or 20 kids. We the international community. “I have a very Provide training possibilities, give them job with the machine guns are not walked through this very risky place but I felt good relationship with Ban-Ki moon. From opportunities? This is something that I really allowed to come with us. safe. Listen, how he does his job, it’s fantastic.” the first moment that we met each other it love because these people have no university A large part of Lemke’s role is then to pass was really fantastic.
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