JOHANN OLAV KOSS

HAVE you heard of Johann Olav Koss? You may well have done, for as an Olympic skater he has broken eleven world records and holds four gold medals. However, it’s for something that was almost a mistake, of which he is perhaps most proud. Let me explain.

As a young ambassador for Olympic Aid visiting the starving population of Eritrea, he impulsively arranged for the youngsters of Norway to send thousands of soccer balls to their peers in Africa.

It wasn’t until the balls actually arrived that he realised a population desperately short of food might be less than impressed by a donation of sports equipment.

But President Isais Afewerki was able to reassure him. “This is the most beautiful gift we have ever received,” he said. “Finally, we are being seen as human beings. We are more than mouths to feed. We are people – we, too, have dreams and we hope for a better future.”

Today Johann Olav Koss is honorary chairman of Right To Play, a charity dedicated to providing, via sports, a pathway to all kinds of health and educational projects. Isn’t it good to think that a soccer ball can score such a world-changing goal?

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