IWC and Laureus part 2

They identified the need to help children and young people to confront their losses and emotional injuries. “Sport can and should play a key role in our efforts to give back hope and joy to these severely tested people and to help leave these traumatic experiences behind them”, said Sir Ian Botham after his three-day visit to Sri Lanka. Sport for Seenigama The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation made contact with local community leaders and, in collaboration, they developed long-term sport programmes for the worst-affected villages.

The result was launched on 6 December 2005 as the 39th project of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation under the name of Seenigama Sports. The sporting activities bring together girls and boys aged six and above for training and competitions, and the Foundation provides the necessary equipment and promotes talent. Laureus funds two local coordinators and their funding helps to maintain the necessary infrastructure to keep the programme alive. Seenigama Sports has now become established as the most important leisure facility for young people in Sri Lanka.

The weekly sessions give stability to the lives of the participants, inspire joie de vivre and help them develop their social skills. More than 1,000 players participate every month in a range of sports, including cricket, volleyball, badminton, swimming, cross-country running and table tennis. Sustainable changes.

These sporting activities not only benefit the mental, physical and social development of the children who are directly involved, they also effect the entine local community as the district comes together for regional events, supporting with great enthusiasm and celebrating the teams’ New spirit for Seenigama victories. “Where children play, there is the hope that we will overcome our past”, says one spectator. “These sporting programmes have positively changed the lives of the children and, consequently, our own lives.” This is now the fourth time that a “Laureus Sport for Good Foundation” special edition watch from IWC Schaffhausen has set off in aid of a good cause. Thanks to the support of IWC and the commitment of the Foundation, the Laureus blue on the dial of the Portuguese Automatic is now the colour of hope for underprivileged children throughout the world. Do some good – and enjoy it. The outstanding work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in helping children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds inspired the Schaffhausen company once again to put one of its classic watches at the service of a good cause.

This is now the fourth time that IWC Schaffhausen has supported the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation with a special edition. Following on from the Portuguese Chrono-Automatic in 2006, the Pilot’s Watch Chrono-Automatic in 2007 and the Da Vinci Chronograph in 2008, the model that carries on the range’s support for sport in 2009 is the Portuguese Automatic, made of stainless steel with a dial in unmistakable Laureus blue and limited to 1,000 watches. In keeping with a worthy tradition, IWC Schaffhausen holds a children’s painting competition within the projects supported by Laureus throughout the world. The winning design is engraved on a medallion and inset into the back of the case of the special edition model. This year, the jury’s choice was a drawing by 12-year-old K.D. Sriyan Chamod Dilshan from Sri Lanka, who is involved in the Laureus project Seenigama Sports.