The Hindu Business Line : Now, cricketers too enter arena to fight AIDS

NOW, cricketers will also show they care: for the first time in cricket, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) have formed a partnership to fight against AIDS in cricket playing countries, some of which are the hardest hit by the disease.

The primary aim will be to use cricket to raise public awareness of HIV/AIDS in these countries, incorporate UNAIDS education and training messages and materials in ICC's global development programme, and encourage National Cricket Boards to support HIV/AIDS issues. The programme will roll out under the banner, `Run Out AIDS.'

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is the first national cricket board to sign on, and it will work with UNAIDS on a wide range of activities, including distribution of information materials on HIV/AIDS to sports commentators and journalists, inviting an HIV-positive person to toss the coin before the start of the first Test against New Zealand, and bringing in some people from UNAIDS-supported projects to Indian matches.

ICC will also put up for auction, a set of 14 cricket bats signed by the teams that participated in the ICC World Cup 2003, and offer the proceeds to various AIDS projects in the country.

"The partnership is about the social responsibility of cricket, and about the role of cricket in fighting a significant threat to humanity," said Mr Ehsan Mani, President, ICC. "We hope that through this partnership, ICC will help UNAIDS turn this epidemic around."

It is estimated that of the 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, over 12 million live in cricket playing countries; India and South Africa alone account for over nine million of them. "We want HIV/AIDS to be the talk of every household, just as a sixer by Tendulkar is," said Mr Mahesh Mahalingam, Communications Adviser, UNAIDS. "And just like running out a batsman is a team effort, prevention of AIDS will also take a team effort." BCCI may rope in individual commentators and cricketers in this regard to raise awareness, he added.

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