2 posts tagged Sports for Good Foundation

Last month we shared a brief recap of the Laureus Sports Awards in London, an event sponsored by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, of which IWC Schaffhausen is an avid supporter. We also shared some images of the limited edition Portofino Chronograph watch that is created just for Laureus. A portion of the proceeds of the sale of these timepieces (only 2500 are produced) goes to the Foundation, benefitting the worldwide athletic programs they endorse. The watch is infused with design elements that are distinct to Laureus, but the true stand out is the exclusive design on the back case, a drawing selected from entries submitted by children around the world.
The winning design, to be engraved on the watch back case

For 2012 the winner was a 7 year old Sri Lankan girl, who participates in the Seenigama Sport for Life Project, an organization that uses sports training to promote etiquette, leadership, and confidence in local children. The Project was started in 2004, following the devastating tsunami, as a partnership between Laureus and the local government. Over 1000 youth participate each month in the program’s various activities such as badminton, volleyball, and cricket. More than 4400 having been involved since the Seenigama project’s inception.

Boys playing volleyball as part of the program

The incredible impact of a program such as this sometimes must be seen to be believed. And for the owners of the Portofino Chronograph Laureus edition, this experience could be a reality! Each of the 2500 watches includes an opportunity to win a trip to Sri Lanka to visit with the Project and see its work first hand.

Ready to play!

Located on Sri Lanka’s south west coast, Seenigama is not only a truly diverse and culturally rich area, but a trip to the region will provide the fortunate winner with a glimpse at what partnership, altruism, and giving can do.

Local girls excited to participate in sporting events

We’d like to send luck to all entrants, and our congratulations to the Seenigama Sport for Life Project and the great work it does every day.

Here is the link to the IWC.com Laureus draw »

Last week in London some of the world’s best athletes were honored for their accomplishments, at the Laureus Sports Awards. Selected by a 47 member jury of their peers, winners for 2012 included tennis star Novak Djokovic and Spanish League football champions FC Barcelona (for Sportsman of the Year and Team of the Year, respectively).

It was an exciting event to be sure, but some of the lesser known winners of the evening were the children from around the world who benefit from the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Created in 2000 (with IWC Schaffhausen’s parent company Richemont as a founding partner), the Foundation uses the positive influence of sport in a child’s life to support various global projects. 

As part of their sponsorship with the Foundation, IWC created a limited edition watch in honor of this year’s Laureus Sports Awards. And a number of our favorite blogs were as excited about it as we were! Here’s a brief recap of what they’ve written.

As blog Perpetuelle noted, this is IWC’s  sixth year creating a watch for Laureus Sports for Good. While each year the watch is patterned on a different member of the IWC family, “this year’s Laureus watch is drawn from IWC’s Portofino collection”. They go on to remark that the timepiece was created in the “characteristic ‘Laureus blue’ color”, a nod to to the organization.

The Watch Press elaborates on the signature blue: “a colour symbolic of hope…” and that “each edition also features some rather unique case back engravings.” In fact only 2500 of the watches are made each year, with the Portofino boasting a 79320 calibre movement and 44 hour time reserve. 

To See And Be Seen blog from Hong Kong shares a touching story about the previously mentioned back engravings. Each year children submit illustrations in a competition to have theirs chosen for the back of the watch. This year it was the artistry of 7 year old Kumara Wadu Parami Apsara from Sri Lanka, who depicted four girls playing.

Not only are children who benefit from the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation involved in the design process, but part of the proceeds from the Laureus watch go to the organization and the over 90 programs they sponsor. It is a commitment to children that IWC does not take lightly, and Spanish blog Hora Latina quoted IWC Georges Kern when he declared that this was: “a watch with a mission that goes beyond the exact indication of the time”.

With so many children in need, it is with immense pride that IWC partners with Laureus and we look forward to sharing more about the great work done and the great children who benefit from its work.