The International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the Olympic Museum has signed agreement with Reliance Foundation to build on the success of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP) in India and signed a new cooperation agreement.
The new cooperation was agreed upon by IOC President Thomas Bach and Nita Ambani, IOC Member in India and Reliance Foundation Founder Chairperson, during a visit to the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) football academy in Mumbai.
During the ceremony, President Bach and Mrs. Ambani exchanged pennants representing OVEP and Reliance Foundation and joined students in leaving their handprints on a new Olympic Values Pledge Wall, marking a commitment to be a positive role model both in sports and in day-to-day life.
“Sport has the ability to transform lives of young people,” said President Bach. “We welcome Reliance Foundation joining as an OVEP implementation partner and we look forward to bringing the Olympic values to even more students, first in the Mumbai area and then hopefully across the state of Maharashtra. Respect, friendship, fair play and solidarity are values that young people can benefit from and imbibe for life. And the most important aspect is solidarity with one and all.”
“The word ‘together’ in the Olympic motto, Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together, expresses this sentiment of solidarity. With the OVEP programme, we want to reach out to all children and young people, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds who may not always have access to sport and healthy lifestyles,” added President Bach.
“Reliance Foundation is delighted to partner with the IOC for OVEP and we are really looking forward to this partnership,” said Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder Chairperson of Reliance Foundation. “OVEP brings both sports and education together. With this partnership, we can hope to positively impact the 250 million school-going children of India, reaching out to the remotest villages and regions of India, giving them options of a more disciplined, healthier, fitter and more wholesome lifestyle. Children are our future and we need to give them the right to education and the right to play.”