On the occasion of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, the association "Peace and Sport" launched its #WhiteCard campaign. Ambassador of this operation, the 1998 world champion Christian Karembeu, finds himself confined to Switzerland with his family. The current sports director of the Greek club Olympiakos insists on the role of sport in this health crisis.
Why and how did the idea of supporting the Peace and Sport association come about?
CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU. Sport helps convey ideas, initiatives and a message. There is nothing more beautiful than promoting peace through sport. When Joël Bouzou (Editor's note: founder and patron of "Peace and Sport") asked me to participate in their convention and then to travel with them to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, I saw that the foundation was important and that sport is a major asset. I also went to Africa, to Jordan, to refugee camps… Sport is king there, it is a support for bouncing and building. Today we know the confinement and thanks to this digital campaign #Whitecard, we can send a message: if the Covid-19 has no borders, neither does sport and peace. After a trauma that is difficult to bear, we are there to help them find a solution.
What would you say to a young sports enthusiast who has trouble staying confined to his home?
Top athletes have always adapted to all types of situations, difficult or impossible. Containment and therefore isolation are part of it. These young people must therefore be creative, even more than usual. You have to reinvent your daily life! Containment is not individual but collective and family. Today, we are no longer a community or an ethnic group but we are a family. You can do sports at home but also play cards, read or draw… The most important thing is to practice an activity. We must accept this reality while continuing to live and taking care of everyone.
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It is a noble gesture! Myself, I have always been sensitive to great causes and I would have asked the whole team to do the same. It is a collective reflection. Afterwards, each country, championship or club is different. In Greece for example, the country has just emerged from a major economic crisis and it is now in this health crisis so it is more difficult to be generous. Each reality must be taken into account. But all initiatives are good like those of clubs and federations which lend their sports arena. We must tackle the virus!
Do you want the championships to be completed?
You have to respect health. The wonderful nursing staff do their utmost. We must first eradicate the virus and if there is no more risk we can then finish the season according to the calendar. However, it is the health authorities who will have to give the green light to leave.
How do you keep in touch with your Olympiacos players?
Through apps. Our president has been infected but he is doing better. The players were all negative. They are currently confined to their homes. The Greek health authorities recommend the end of confinement around April 24. We still have to play the playoffs for the title of champion, the cup of Greece and the Europa League (round of 16 against the English of Wolverhampton). We wait.
Do you see the world changing after the pandemic?
A life has stopped for everyone. After Covid-19, there will be a new life. I feel a collective awareness of the virus. We will have to be careful in the future. Today we have a big alert. No one was prepared for this, even the great nations. We can no longer be wrong. We have played so much with nature that today the priority is to protect the planet.
