By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 10 June 2014:
Afriqiyah Airways is not all about making money. The state-owned company also sees value in . . .[restrict]promoting cultural understanding through sports.
This past week, the airline sponsored a Libyan team that joined 32 others from 15 nations as the Lufthansa World Aviation Football Cup (WAFC) in Frankfurt, Germany.
The Afriqyah team had a solid showing, but Italy’s Venice Lions walked away with the trophy after a penalty shoot-out in the championship match against Fly Emirates.
According to the organisers, the tournament was deliberately scheduled for just before the World Cup in order to stir up “football fever”.
“I am happy to be a part of the World Aviation Cup 2014,” said Stefan Lauer, the former human resources chief of Lufthansa which is sponsoring the event. “A tournament in the run-up to the World Cup is a very exciting venture, especially as it is for a good cause.”
The Lufthansa WAFC 2014 was run by Global Goal e.V., whose vision is to enable underprivileged children and adults all around the world to participate in sports by providing financial and non-financial support to build infrastructure and promote intercultural understanding through athletic activities.
The organisation was started by five young airline employees who shared an enthusiasm for travelling and sports.
“One thing we experienced on our journeys was that, independent from the financial situation, living standards, cultural background, religion, or political situation, sports and especially football was a common trigger to bring smiles to the faces of the local people,” founders of the organisation explained. [/restrict]
