Cricketers to sport red ribbons on World AIDS Day
November 29th, 2010 - 6:43 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Nov 29 (IANS) Leading international cricket players will be sporting red ribbons in their upcoming matches to mark World AIDS Day (Dec 1) and to support those living with HIV, according to a release.
The initiative is a part of the Think Wise partnership - a joint partnership between the International Cricket Council (ICC), UNAIDS, Unicef and the Global Media AIDS Initiative since 2003. It aims to raise awareness around HIV prevention and eliminate discrimination against people living HIV and AIDS.
“Two million people die of AIDS-related deaths each year and nearly three-quarters of them come from sub-Saharan Africa. These are people who watch me play cricket on television, support me in the stadium and this makes it all seem very real to me,” said South African cricket captain Graeme Smith, a release here said.
“By wearing a red ribbon we are sending a message to the millions of fans across the world that you shouldn’t discriminate against people living with HIV,” he added.
Three one-day internationals - between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, India and New Zealand and Sri Lanka and West Indies as well as the opening day of the Ashes Test match between Australia and England will see players sporting the red ribbon.
Sri Lanka captain and Think Wise champion Kumar Sangakkara said: “Many people living with HIV live in cricket-playing countries. It is something that you cannot escape, no matter where we play.”
“This lack of awareness is compounded by the discrimination that those living with HIV and AIDS undergo. It is, therefore, important to create awareness to stop the spread of the virus while also curbing discrimination and as international cricketers we can help to achieve this objective,” he said, according to the release.
“The red ribbon that we wear symbolises our support for the cause to help those living with HIV and AIDS to live a full and productive life in society without giving up hope. It is a disease that we should fight by understanding how it spreads and encouraging people to talk about things like sexuality in their homes.”
Players will also wear red ribbons in important matches at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, including the quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, an official said.
- Sehwag visits hospital to show his support for HIV patients - Mar 04, 2011
- Cars for every Indian player if team wins the World Cup (Diary) - Apr 01, 2011
- Shakib appointed Bangladesh's Think Wise spokesperson for HIV/AIDS awareness - Nov 30, 2010
- Sehwag, Sangakkara bat in UN campaign to combat AIDS - Jan 26, 2011
- World Cup has proved 50-over cricket is here to stay: Pawar - Mar 21, 2011
- Scriptures to help fight HIV-AIDS - Mar 12, 2011
- Pawar praises ICC Cricket World Cup as 'potentially the greatest ever' - Mar 21, 2011
- Third Red Ribbon Express to spread AIDS awareness planned (Lead) - Dec 01, 2010
- Cricketers mark World AIDS Day - Dec 02, 2008
- Preity Zinta to spread AIDS awareness via IPL (Lead) - Mar 11, 2010
- HIVs pad up to fight stigma on World Aids Day - Dec 01, 2010
- Red Ribbon Express in Delhi to spread AIDS awareness - Nov 28, 2010
- ICC celebrates fifth anniversary of HIV/AIDS partnership - Nov 25, 2008
- Young women most vulnerable to HIV: UNAIDS - Jun 03, 2011
- This AIDS day, talk of universal access and human rights (Dec 1 is World AIDS Day) - Dec 01, 2010
Tags: aids initiative, ashes test match, cricket captain, cricket players, day internationals, global media, graeme smith, hiv and aids, hiv prevention, international cricket council, lack of awareness, living with hiv, productive life, red ribbon, red ribbons, sending a message, south african cricket, sub saharan africa, three quarters, world aids day