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UNESCO joins forces with Belgian tennis ace to encourage sporting values

UNESCO joins forces with Belgian tennis ace to encourage sporting values

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is teaming up next week with the world’s top female tennis player, Belgium’s Justine Henin, to promote sporting values such as fair play and honesty and to warn of the dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is teaming up next week with the world’s top female tennis player, Belgium’s Justine Henin, to promote sporting values such as fair play and honesty and to warn of the dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs.

The agency is taking part in the Paris Stade Français Youth Tennis Open – BNP Paribas Cup, an international tournament for players aged 13 or 14 years that starts on Monday at the Stade Français tennis club in Paris.

At a village set up at the tournament site, UNESCO will conduct a series of educational workshops, interactive games and other activities that will be open to the young players and also to parents and coaches. The workshops will focus on doping in sports and on the importance of developing good values, particularly team spirit, integrity and mutual respect.

On Monday, Ms. Henin – who won the BNP Paribas Cup herself in 1996 – will speak to the junior players about doping in sports and sporting ethics. The 25-year-old, the number-one ranked player in the world and the winner of six Grand Slam titles during her career, reached the semi-finals of the women’s singles event at Wimbledon this week.

This is the fifth year that UNESCO has been involved in the running of the tournament, which is expected to bring together teenage tennis stars from more than 60 countries.