This year, to celebrate the World Cup in South Africa, the Federal Foreign Office is launching the “Sports and Foreign Policy” Initiative. Under the motto of “Moving People – Overcoming Borders”, the initiative’s aim is to use sports as a way of preventing crises and promoting understanding between peoples. For 50 years now the Federal Foreign Office has supported projects aimed at creating and enhancing popular sports structures in developing countries. Thanks to the Federal Foreign Office’s sports promotion, children and young people in conflict stricken and poor areas can find stability and happiness. Through playing sports they can experience creativity, fairness and cosmopolitanism.

After the press conference Minister of State Pieper, DFB President Zwanziger and Holger Obermann (sports journalist and sports development helper) will be available for individual statements, as will other sports promotion partners such as Markus Weidner (DFB), Silke Gülker (Discover Football), Johannes Axster (streetfootballworld) and Federal Foreign Office promoted coaches from Ghana, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. The conference will take place on 15 May at 11.00 a.m. in the Federal Foreign Office.