Essien, Drogba in FIFA 11 project

  1. Posted on Wednesday 24 February 2010 - 17:15
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    Kent Mensah, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana
    The world football governing body, FIFA, appoints Chelsea duo Michael Essien and Didier Drogba among nine others in the "11 for Health" project that is aimed at improving the health of people and the community as a whole around the world. It is to explore football's unique potential in health care.
    essien
    Players such as Nompumelelo Nyandeni, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are part of the project.

    They would each adopt a key health message addressing such important topics as having respect for girls and women, adopting a healthy diet and being diligent about washing one's hands.

    “The project will enable us to deliver health education through football,” explained Dr Michel D’Hooghe, Chairman of FIFA’s Medical Committee, at the end of the third International Football Medicine Conference in Sun City, South Africa.

    According to organizers, the project is based on an analysis of the top health risks factors identified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    “If the results are as convincing as the first pilot project, we aim to roll out “The 11 for Health” across Africa and South America from 2011 onwards,” said Prof. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer and F-MARC Chairman.

    “The football players have each adopted 11 key health messages addressing such important topics as having respect for girls and women, adopting a healthy diet and being diligent about one’s hands and others,” Dvorak said.

    “The ‘11 for Health’ (project) is based on an analysis of the top health risks factors identified by the WHO.

    "A pilot study using football as an educational health tool was conducted throughout last year in Khayelitsha involving children between the ages of 11 and 15.

    “Lack of fitness is the No1 cause of death in our society. A healthy and effective way of preventing this is by playing football.”

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