Rotary Sport International’s initiative at attracting high profile sports stars, past and present is yielding good result and we keep adding to that momentum with even more high profile stars as Global Ambassadors.

Very few people who follow international football will claim not to know the man with the highest number of international caps for England – a record that still holds till now. And by a man who has been described as one of the very best goalkeepers of all time – Peter Shilton.

Peter holds 125 international caps for England in a career that spans 31 years and saw him feature for 11 high end clubs in England in his time. Clubs that include Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Derby County among others.

RiS President Dr ‘Tunde said ‘this is a real coup. I watched some of Peter when growing up and I have total regard for him when I was young. To have approached him and have him say yes to the call to serve and be a part of the Rotary movement is an honour and a privilege and a massive addition to the Rotary ranks worldwide.

Leaving football, we have gone into the world of athletics. And have clicked with two Olympic Games medalists in the track and field discipline. Again, these two ladies have distinguished careers and have accepted to fly the flag of Rotary Sport and use their influence and experience to inspire sports growth, sports development and sports charity the world over.

Marilyn Okoro. Marilyn is a well decorated athlete who ran 400 and 800 metres in her career. Marilyn won medals at the World Athletics Championships, at the World Championships and in the European Championships as well as in the indoor circuit, as a member of Team Great Britain. She is also a bronze medalist at the Beijing Olympics of 2008.

She also has accepted to be a Rotary Sport ambassador and regards it as a thing of ‘excitement and pride’ that her exploits are so recognised as much as to be deemed worthy of being a of RS, a role she’s committed to and willing to know more of so she could put in her best.

As part of the drive to make the newly chartered Rotary Sport truly inclusive and reflective of the objectives for which it was established, a new Ambassador initiative has been launched.

The aim is to get sports stars – past and present – stars who have, and are role models in their respective fields and disciplines to identify with the overall Rotary ideal and also the objectives of Rotary Sport. These sporting legends have agreed to be the face and the voice of Rotary Sport, leading the drive for getting the youth of the world back into sport, into doing selfless work through sport and enriching the society through sport.

As President of Rotary Sport, Dr Tunde Adelakun said, ‘we want to touch every sector of the community. And if we aim to to that successfully, it is important that we connect with people who can allow the wider society to be conscious of the fact that our objective and desire to help them cuts across all spheres and that even celebrities who do not have to, still care.

‘These are accomplished celebrities who have done well in their careers and who want to use their acquired status to inspire a bright future in our communities’.

Heading up the Ambassadors podium is Nigerian football international, and star player of English Premier League side, Fulham FC, Alex Iwobi.

As ‘Tunde said, ‘having worked with and followed the development of Alex as a young man who started his career in Arsenal and grown to become a very fine gentleman and a model of success and modesty in club and international circles in football, for me it was a no-brainer when we had to start picking ambassadors. Alex fitted in perfectly with what we are doing. And the great thing is – he shares our desire and our passion. One word to him about it and his answer was emphatically affirmative’.

Alex Iwobi is quoted as saying ‘I always like to do whatever I can to assist and support. And the Rotary Sport ideal is one that didn’t need to be sold to me much before I saw what it means. With the President’s involvement, it was virtually impossible for me to say no’.

The nation Rwanda is very well known for many reasons and there are quite a few sports stars from there. But we await their dominance in sport which is imminent. One of the few stars of Rwanda sports that has also been placed in the Ambassador position is former football international Jimmy Mulisa.

Of Jimmy, RiS President ‘Tunde had this to say ‘Jimmy is a stalwart in Rwanda sports folklore. He was part of what is so far the only golden age of Rwanda’s football when the national team braved all odds and qualified for the 2004 African Cup of Nations. Again he is someone I know very well and with our growing presence in that country, and in recognition of the level of enthusiasm with which Rotary Sport has been embraced in Rwanda, Jimmy was first on the list of those who wanted to identify with the cause’.

And Jimmy confirmed this sentiment stating that ‘it is a real honour and privilege to be Ambassador of this great Club and I am only too happy to contribute in my way to seeing positive growth in our sport and in the wider society’.