Yunus addresses Youth Summit

Professor Muhammad Yunus toured Japan from December 1 to 4 to attend the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Youth Summit and various preparatory meetings regarding the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

IOC president Thomas Bach and Yunus addressed the summit, organised by the IOC, on December 2 with 42 youths from 40 countries in attendance. The event was part of the IOC youth leadership programme titled 'Young Change Makers'.

In his address, Yunus emphasised on the role that social businesses -- a term coined by the Nobel laureate describing a business created and designed to address social problems -- can play in transforming athletes into social and community leaders.

“You can mobilise people around the world with one single thing -- sport. You are messengers for change, leaders for change.  You can bring changes to your communities, to society and to the whole world,” Yunus said.

In a meeting that followed, Yunus briefed Bach on their preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yunus Centre, Paris and Les Canaux are working collaboratively to deliver the most inclusive event in the history of the Games. Yunus is also guiding the apex 2024 Olympics platform called Solideo.

Afterwards, Yunus met with Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda and vice president Yasuo Saito and discussed how to collaborate for the 2020 Olympics.

On December 3, Yunus met with the CEO of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics association, Toshiro Muto. Muto then presented the plans for the competition to Yunus, who highlighted that all these programmes should be just the start of change.