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 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

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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. He can trust in me and degrees, sometimes they didn’t even finish We’ll go on our own.” on the best techniques and methods that he this motivates me to do more for the poor school, but they have many skills that they finds around the world. “This is one of my people,” he says. “I’m no longer interested in use in their work with kids and have charisma main challenges, to find out where our best contracts of football players or similar issues. that is unbelievable. These youngsters are a two-year or three-year project, they want practice models are,” he says. “What we can I’m only interested in how to use sport as a the potential leaders of tomorrow, whether long-term projects and lasting impact. And learn from each other. This is so important. tool for development and peace. This is the in the local community or at a national level, that’s something that I always look for. And Not that we go and say, ‘you have to do this, challenge, and this is something that I can and they use their life skills learned from of course I’ve found out that it is better to you have to do that.’ No, no, no. We are not help to change as long as I have this mandate. sport.” Another three objectives complete the do projects with many stakeholders, not only teachers. We come to listen, to see, to help, Then it will be the task of my successor, set: “Gender – clear. Sport for people with one. I can tell you, from my point of view, 80 to support, to connect, to facilitate. I love it, and she or he will be able to continue the disabilities. And Palestine-Israel. These are my per cent of the bilateral projects between one really. I don’t believe that we can change the work that my predecessor – the former Swiss five priorities,” he explains. sponsor and one project that gets the money world with only resolutions, conventions, president, Adolf Ogi – and I have done.” Needless to say, while the work may be will not survive. Because the money is out – paragraphs, because my mother always says Not that Lemke is anxious to give up a job enjoyable it is not often easy, and for all whoosh – nobody feels responsible. And it – it’s a German saying – ‘It’s paper.’ You have he is currently enjoying immensely. “Really, I The United Nations’ belief in the viability of sport as a tool for social development is made clear in meetings Lemke’s delight in the projects he encounters doesn’t work. If you have five, six, seven, eight to change opinions, minds of people in real between secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Fifa president Sepp Blatter (top) and IOC president Jacques Rogge am,” he reiterates. “From day to day, really.” around the world, there is equal frustration. donors around, if one pulls out the project life – that makes the change. Not paper. You Even the sceptics he encounters only convince “On these priorities I work day by day,” he is not at risk.” You also, Lemke adds, avoid can have 2,000 pages of paper about how Sport falls exactly under my mandate. And I fish,” he smiles. “Don’t give them a fish, give him he is having an impact. “Sometimes continues. Personally he stays in contact with the risk of one stakeholder declaring their to change the situation in Haiti, but paper see how the forum grows, and how Peace and them something to catch it and teach them it people say, ‘Oh, you are stupid, you’ve only some 20 young role models, especially in ambitions and sticking rigidly to a plan. “If does not change the lives of the people on Sport gets involved in the US, in Asia with is easy. Show them how to educate themselves built one pitch.’ Do you know what this Africa, and with sports projects around the you say, ‘We want to do this in Senegal, this the ground.” That being the case, Lemke’s . I really appreciate what Joël Bouzou, in a proper way so that they can achieve the means in Palestine, or in Gaza? In Ivory world. “There are wonderful sports projects sport with these teachers,’ and then you send involvement with Peace and Sport, which under the patronage of His Serene Highness Millennium Development Goals.” It all sounds Coast, blue helmet soldiers building a pitch but also sports projects where I say ‘why them to do that, this will not succeed. You now has a formal partnership with the UN, [Prince Albert], has done, and what he simple, but is far from it. “This is of course for all the poor kids in the neighbourhood? do you burn money?’ There are many sport must send somebody there to say, ‘Listen, is understandable. “It’s developing in an supports, and the brilliant way they do it. This a very long way off, if you see, for example, This is wonderful! And if they say ‘it’s only projects where most of the money doesn’t what is the situation here? What are your incredible way, it’s really fantastic to see how is absolutely first class, unbelievable.” the very difficult situation in many countries one pitch…’ well… how could we change the come to the people that need it but stays in people interested in? What can we do? Is there it has increased in the last three years,” he says Not that Lemke allows his enthusiasm to in sub-Saharan Africa. It’s a long way.” The world if we say this is nothing?” Changing the the country that sent the money or goes to already an existing basis that we can grow?’ of the forum. “It’s fantastic, it’s like a melting disguise the size of the challenge he faces. role sport can play across Africa, though, is whole world may be beyond him, but Lemke the wrong people. I say, ‘why don’t you let Then it makes much more sense, and you pot, and it is very nice to have this. Peace and “The very easy picture is: teach them how to indisputable, hence Lemke’s earlier anger at the is certainly prepared to try, step by step.

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