The multiple world champion is one of the faces of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. He demonstrates how getting close to sport can save lives.
Monaco, 2 November 2022 – Cycling as a meeting point for values of solidarity is one of the cornerstones of Beking’s philosophy. Peter Sagan, an ardent supporter of the project and Ambassador of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, knows this well and has confirmed his presence on the Monte Carlo circuit on 27 November. The multiple World Champion dwelt on the importance of conveying important messages and doing good through sport.
‘In my opinion, team spirit is one of the fundamental foundations of volunteering,’ he explained. “Without the work and cooperation of everyone involved in a project, it would be impossible to achieve the goals. I think it’s a bit like a bicycle race. You can be the strongest rider in the group, but without the support and help of all the team members, you will never win. We are all important for success and if all the pieces are not in place, it will be very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve it.”
The Slovakian star will test himself against his professional colleagues on the Beking main criterium course and then extend the challenge to fans in the Pro-Am, for an afternoon dedicated to cycling and charity. In fact, there are two associations that the event supports in this adventure, one of which is the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which works to raise international awareness of the scourge of drowning and to increase swimming lessons for children, especially in the underdeveloped countries of the world.
“Here in Europe, the fact that our children know how to swim is taken for granted,” said Sagan, explaining the reason why he became a face of the foundation. “Most of us have been on seaside holidays and we are all used to images of beaches full of people of all ages having fun in the water. At the same time, a large number of European children have access, quite easily, to public swimming pools where they can learn to swim. Therefore, I had never considered drowning to be a widespread problem and had always thought that these were isolated cases, mainly due to accidents or lack of attention. I was therefore very surprised to learn that around 250,000 people die of drowning every year worldwide. Moreover, 90 percent of these deaths occur in underdeveloped countries. This is therefore a rather important problem worldwide, little known to the general public.”
The prevention of drowning and the teaching of swimming are the main missions of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which carries out actions in Africa, America, Asia and Europe where tens of thousands of children have learned to swim thanks to these programs.
“The Foundation also offers sports activities through which children train and learn the values of sport,” Sagan continues. “For all these reasons, I decided to become an ambassador of the Princess Charlene Foundation and to do my best to bring the attention of the general public to the serious problem of drowning and to publicize the incredible work done by this team over the past ten years.”
According to the World Health Organization, forty people die from drowning every hour and raising awareness of this issue is more crucial than ever. A need that Beking has put in its priorities, counting on the visibility of great cycling champions who have espoused this cause.
“I am happy that these two realities join forces,” he concluded. “I have a great deal of respect for H.S.H. Princess Charlene and Her great commitment to this cause, so it seems wonderful to me that Beking is the Foundation’s side, working together to achieve great goals.”
