#WhiteCard #IDSDP2018
ISU President Mr.Jan Dijkema and Swedish Figure Skating President Ms.Katarina Henriksson use the #WhiteCard as a sign of their commitment to peace efforts worldwide on the occasion, with volunteers from the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2018 in Stockholm (SWE)
April 6 is the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace and the ISU is proud to be a part of the celebration. The ISU President Mr.Jan Dijkema and Ms. Katarina Henriksson, President of Swedish Figure Skating, show their commitment to Sport for Development and Peace by using a #WhiteCard as a strong symbol.
Sport is about passion and ISU has brought the passion and skating community together since 1892 when the International Skating Union was founded. Today the ISU has 93 Members from around the world.
Figure Skating, Synchronized Skating, Speed Skating and Short Track Speed Skating have greatly evolved and developed across the globe in the last decades.
Skaters from tropical countries such as Michael Christian Martinez from the Philippines and Julian Zhi Jie Yee from Malaysia have inspired many young skaters to take up Figure Skating. Yee made history as the first athlete to represent Malaysia at an Olympic Winter Games when he qualified and competed in PyeongChang 2018. Another inspiring Figure Skater who has pushed all boundaries is Zahra Lari. She is the first Figure Skater to compete at an international level from the United Arab Emirates.
Julian Zhi Jie Yee © Getty Images
All differences are set aside in the face of sport and during those moments, peace prevails. This season, skaters from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea made headlines at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games. Pair Skaters Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik qualified for the Olympic Winter Games at the Nebelhorn Trophy 2017 in Germany, where they placed 6th. They went on to become bronze medallists at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2018 and finished 13th in PyeongChang 2018.
In Short Track Speed Skating, Choe Un Song, who has been competing in ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating events since 2015 also represented the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at PyeongChang 2018, alongside first-timer Jong Kwang-Bom.
Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik (PRK)
The ISU has an extensive Development Program which was started in 1996, with a goal to improve the skating activities of ISU Members in a sustainable way. The ISU provides frameworks, funding and facilitation to ensure that Figure Skating and Speed Skating sports are meaningful for current and future generations worldwide.
Laura Gomez & Pedro Causil (COL)along with a member of the US Speed Skating team © AFP
Most recently, an ISU Development Transition program was designed to help athletes from skating sports such as Inline Speed Skating, and hockey transition to Speed Skating. The program provides the best training environment available and resulted in five athletes from the program qualifying for PyeongChang 2018.
The #WhiteCard is a Peace and Sport digital campaign that promotes the positive and constructive values of sport. In contrast with the red card, which signifies the most serious offense in sport, the #WhiteCard is a gesture of inclusion, tolerance and peace. To find out more information on the #WhiteCard campaign and how you can also participate please visit their Facebook page.