TENNIS in DEPTH.

Martina Navratilova will lead 28 climbers to the summit of Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation, a charity that supports community sports projects worldwide, improving the lives of over a million young people. “I made the decision to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation at the beginning of this year,” Navratilova, who battled breast cancer this year, said. “Despite everything that has happened, I now have a clean bill of health and am determined to reach the summit and raise funds for Laureus. “I hope everyone will support me by donating to www.laureus.com.”

The climb up Mount Kilimanjaro will take seven days, from December 6 to 12. Before the climb, Navratilova will visit the Laureus-supported Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) project in Nairobi, Kenya – the kind of project that will benefit from funds raised during the one-week Kilimanjaro Climb. Based in one of the largest and poorest slums in Nairobi in which HIV/AIDS and other diseases are widespread, the project has pioneered the use of soccer to encourage cooperation and raise self-esteem in youth. Each year MYSA organizes thousands of matches for about 20,000 young people. Success is measured not just by the goals scored in matches, but by the work the young people do in cleaning up the slums. MYSA has been supported by Laureus since 2000. It has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work.

Navratilova is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique association of 46 of the greatest living sporting legends who volunteer their time to act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation whose mission is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, crime, social exclusion, landmine awareness, violence, discrimination and physical and mental health problems. Laureus has raised over $50 million and currently supports almost 80 sports-based projects around the world.

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