Beyond Sport announces speakers and nominees for Beyond Sport Summit and Awards in Philadelphia

LONDON and PHILADELPHIA, PA -  Beyond Sport has announced the initial speaker line-up for the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards 2013, the premier global gathering in the field of sport and development, which will be staged in Philadelphia from September 9th-11th 2013.

Mayor Michael Nutter; Philadelphia Eagles hero Brian Dawkins; Olympic legend Michael Johnson; Shellie Pfohl, Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition; Chris Waddell, the first man to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair; and numerous other inspirational speakers and experts in their fields will take part in the September event.

The global organization has also unveiled the Beyond Sport Awards 2013 Official Shortlist of nominated projects. These organizations will receive flights to and accommodation at the Philadelphia event, where the winners will be rewarded with a comprehensive package of funding and business support. The 32 projects have been selected from just under 400 entries from more than 125 countries, with nominees ranging from world-renowned sports teams such as the San Francisco 49ers and Toronto Blue Jays, major media organizations including FOX Sports and Sky Sports, and sports governing bodies such as the NFL, USA Swimming and the Australian Football League, to grassroots projects such as A Ganar, which works throughout Latin America, using sports as a tool to get young people into unemployment; Soccer Without Borders, which uses the sport to integrated refugees into their community across America; and Moving the Goalposts, which uses sports to empower and educate young women in rural Kenya on health issues.

Beyond Sport Founder Nick Keller commented: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards to Philadelphia. This city places sport at the center of its identity and has long experience of using sport to enrich the community. Our warmest congratulations go to the projects and organizations shortlisted for a Beyond Sport Award – their work is inspirational and we look forward to learning from them all in Philadelphia.”

The Philadelphia Eagles, global Beyond Sport Award winners in 2011 for the franchise’s work in the community, have played a key role in bringing the unique event to the city, which follows in the footsteps of London 2012, Cape Town 2011 and Chicago 2010. It is also supported by the Phillies, Flyers, 76ers and Union, the Philadelphia Sports Congress and by the Mayor’s Office. The Beyond Sport movement is backed by each of the major leagues – the National Hockey League (NHL), National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NASCAR, Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Barclays Premier League.

“Sports bring people together, and bringing people together is what the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection is all about,” said Mayor Nutter. “The reason Philadelphia and its professional sports franchises worked so hard to bring Beyond Sport here is our belief that athletics has a tremendously positive influence on communities, and we want to play a role in that. Philadelphia is honored to be among some of the most vibrant cities in the world by playing host to this prestigious event.”

Beyond Sport’s Global Partners are Barclays, TIME International and UNICEF.

For further information on the Beyond Sport Awards, future announcements surrounding Summit speakers and agenda, or to register for the Beyond Sport Summit visit www.beyondsport.org