Join Olympians and Rugby Legends at the Laureus Summit

NEW YORK – June 19, 2018 –  Laureus USA today announced the first annual Laureus Summit presented by ESPN to be held on July 18 at LA Live in Los Angeles and feature speakers including Olympic legend and Laureus USA Board Chairman Edwin Moses, Olympic legend and activist John Carlos, Olympic Gold Medalist and Laureus USA CEO Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Olympic Gold Medalists Allyson Felix and Julie Foudy, All Blacks Rugby legend Sean Fitzpatrick, South African Rugby Player and Laureus Ambassador Bryan Habana, among others.  The summit falls on the 100th birthday of Laureus founding patron Nelson Mandela and will celebrate his legacy and propel his belief that “sport has the power the change the world.” This also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1968 Olympic Games where John Carlos and Tommie Smith famously raised their fists in protest on the victory stand.

A day-long conference bringing together athletes and leaders in conversation and panel discussions, the Laureus Summit will be a learning opportunity for youth-serving organizations, foundations, companies and professional leagues to advance the use of sport for social impact. The Laureus Summit will include a plethora of international attendees who will provide a diverse and intriguing perspective to the discussions and overall experience of the attendees.

“On President Mandela’s 100th birthday, we are proud to present an event that will continue to bring his vision to life,” said Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, CEO of Laureus USA and Olympic Gold Medalist in Track and Field. “His view of sport as a tool for peace and justice helped to form the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, a global organization that has raised more than $100M to harness the power of sport to combat social challenges facing children and youth in more than 40 countries worldwide.”

Among the highlights of the Laureus Summit will be:

• Welcome Remarks: In Celebration of Nelson Mandela’s 100th Birthday with Edwin Moses, Laureus USA Board Chairman; Kevin Martinez, ESPN Vice President of Corporate Citizenship; and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Laureus USA CEO
• Plenary: A Global Language: Spotlight on Sport for Development Projects Around the World featuring Dima Alardah, Jordan, U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program Delegate; Cynthia Coredo, Boxgirls Kenya, U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program Delegate/Laureus Grantee; and Generations for Peace from the Middle East
• The Power of Collaboration:Fostering Collective Impact in Communities featuring Tamika Curry Smith, MBUSA; Sky Hyacinthe, ELEVATE New Orleans; and Charlene Burgeson, Active Schools
• The Athlete Voice: The Rise of Athlete Activism moderated by ESPN analyst/espnW contributor Julie Foudy with panelists John Carlos, Olympian and Activist; and Dustin Plunkett, Special Olympics Athlete and Manager
• Sport for Good LA: The announcement of Los Angeles as the newest Sport for Good City with a panel moderated by Renata Simril, CEO LA84 Foundation and including Allyson Felix, Olympic Gold Medalist; Tony LoRe, Youth Mentoring Connection; Nichol Whiteman, Dodgers Foundation
• Putting Woman in the Lead:  Spotlighting the Importance of Female Participation and Leadership in Sport with Asani Swann, VP Melo Enterprises; Caitlin Morris, GM Nike Global Community Impact; and Geraldine Bernardo, Philippines, U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program Delegate;
• The Invictus Story: The 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s Legacy with Bryan Habana, Laureus Ambassador and South African Rugby Player; and Sean Fitzpatrick, Laureus Academy Chairman

“We are thrilled to team up with Laureus to bring some of the best thought leaders in sports and in the nonprofit sector together for this exciting summit,” said Kevin Martinez, Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship. “We share a common goal with Laureus which is to use the power of sport to inspire social good and what better moment than Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday to bring these conversations to the forefront.”

Presented by ESPN, the Laureus Summit coincides with the Sports Humanitarian Awards on July 17 which honors athletes, teams, nonprofits and corporations for using sport to make a positive impact on society.

The Laureus Summit and will be held at The Conga Room at LA Live from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Additional sponsors include Weingart Foundation, Parsons Foundation, Los Angeles Sparks, and HClub LA.

The Laureus Summit will conclude with a networking reception. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to https://laureususa.com/summit-2018/.