ISPO Cup for UN Ambassador of Sport Tegla Loroupe

Dittrich opened the VIP dinner with a call for change. Not only has the sports industry changed in the 50 years since ISPO was founded, he said, but so has the entire world - climate change, social injustice and the ever-widening social gap are the challenges of our time.

"We need to find solutions to these problems before it is too late," Dittrich said. He said he is convinced that sport has the power to overcome these problems.

The career of Tegla Loroupe, who received the ISPO Cup for outstanding personalities from the world of sport from the hands of Jochen Färber of the International Olympic Committee, shows how great the integrative power of sport is, he said.

Loroupe grew up in a family with 24 siblings and as a child had to walk ten kilometers to school every day. "Perhaps this was the starting point for her endurance and fighting spirit," speculated Färber.

Even as a child, she wanted to run long distances. But apart from her mother, no one in her family or those around her supported her in this. Nevertheless, Loroupe became the first African woman to win the New York Marathon - even though it was her first marathon.

The Kenyan, now 46, became the leading female long-distance runner in the late 1990s. She competed three times in the Olympics and held the world records for 20, 25, 30 kilometers and in the marathon distance.

Her own past led her to become involved in peace and development organizations. Loroupe is now a UN Ambassador for Sport and for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and for the UN Children's Fund, UNICEF.

The ISPO VIP dinner will not have been the last time Loroupe was in Munich. She is now part of the ISPO family, she said: "I will not run away with this trophy. I want to work with ISPO to make the world a better place with the help of sports." She plans to return to Bavaria for the ISPO SDG Summit in the summer.

Dittrich gave the approximately 500 invited guests from the sports industry an outlook on the further development of ISPO and the associated premiere of the ISPO SDG Summit in June.

Dittrich underscored the relevance of sports and the outdoors and the possibility of using them to address social challenges. "Even one ball can be enough to connect people and create beautiful, carefree moments," Dittrich said.

"We are convinced that sports play a crucial role in meeting the challenges of our time."

Her own background and history prompted Loroupe to become involved in peace and development organisations. She is a UN ambassador for sports, as well as international ambassador for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF.

It will not have been the last time that Loroupe was in Munich. She is part of the ISPO family now, she said: "With this trophy I don't want to run away. But I will support ISPO to create a better world through sports." She made the commitment to come to the ISPO SDG Summit in summer.

Around 500 invited guests from trade and industry were given an outlook on the reorientation of ISPO and the first ISPO SDG Summit in June by Klaus Dittrich, Managing Director of Messe München. 

Dittrich stressed the relevance of sport and outdoor and its strength to overcome social challenges. "It often only takes one ball to connect people and create beautiful, carefree moments," said Dittrich.  

„We are convinced that sports plays a major role in overcoming the challenges of our time.”