The potential for sport in preventing violence, fighting racism, empowering youth and boosting development, particularly in Africa, will go online with a new series of e-bulletins organized by the United Nations cultural agency and a major multimedia organization.

Youngsters from more than 50 countries have joined the recently retired French tennis ace Fabrice Santoro in Paris for the annual Open des Jeunes-BNP Paribas Cup, a tournament co-organized by the United Nations for young players age 12 to 14 that will also touch on themes such as doping, sustainable development and world heritage.

Sports organizations can boost their efforts to alleviate poverty and promote global peace and show they care about more than just results on the field, a United Nations official said today as he launched a partnership between the UN and sports bodies to help achieve the social and economic targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).