In an update to this past CDT post, South African officials have postponed the sports-related peace conference indefinitely due to the South African government’s decision to not grant the Dalai Lama a visa.
The conference had been in doubt since South Africa’s government said a day earlier the Dalai Lama was not welcome, prompting condemnation and a boycott by retired Cape Town Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others… Friday’s conference was intended to highlight ways soccer can promote peace, and all Nobel peace laureates had been invited, along with world statesmen and celebrities. Irvin Khoza, who is chairman of the South African committee organizing the 2010 World Cup, also heads the professional soccer league that was arranging and funding the conference.
Organizers said they hoped to hold the event when the Dalai Lama could attend, and that they hoped that would be before the World Cup. South Africa’s tournament will be the first in Africa.
From the CNN:
See also past CDT posts on the Dalai Lama.
