Lapchick inducted
in Commonwealth Sports Hall of Fame in Africa with Nelson Mandela and
Artur Ashe
October
10, 1999
KAMPALA, UGANDA � Sport in Society Director, Dr. Richard Lapchick was inducted into the Commonwealth Sports Hall of Fame along with Nelson Mandela and Arthur Ashe on October 10, 1999 in Kampala, Uganda.
All three were inducted in the category of "Humanitarian."
The Awards committee recognized Lapchick for his leadership in the fight to end apartheid in South Africa as well as his subsequent work as Founder of the Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
"I consider being inducted into the Commonwealth Sports Hall of Fame to be one of the greatest honors of my life.
"To be inducted with Arthur Ashe and Nelson Mandela adds to the honor.
"Arthur and I worked closely with the governments of the Commonwealth for more than 20 years to hasten the end of apartheid in South Africa.
"To be honored by those (50) nations is very moving," said Lapchick.
Lapchick was one of the leaders of the American efforts to end Apartheid. As National Chairperson of ACCESS (American Coordinating Committee for Equality in Sport and Society), Lapchick had campaigned to end all sports contacts between South African and United States teams as long as South African sport and society were segregated.
Lapchick's efforts came full circle when he was invited to Nelson Mandela's presidential inauguration in 1994.
In 1995 and 1996 Lapchick used his TEAMWORK-South Africa initiative to help organize two NBA tours of South African townships.
In 1997, Sport in Society hosted a basketball team from Soweto as the first post-apartheid team from South Africa to tour the U.S.
The Commonwealth Sports Awards are given not only to sports heroes based on accomplishments but also on how the recipient's life impacted others by virtue of character and contributions to society. The Awards are given with the hope that the sports community will encourage individuals to take the lead in bringing about positive social change.
Northeastern
University's
CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF SPORT IN SOCIETY
716 Columbus Avenue, Suite 161 CP
Boston, MA 02120
Phone: (617) 373-4025
Fax:
(617) 373-4566