VIENNA, 17 April 2012 – Representatives from the 56 OSCE participating States, civil society and international organizations will meet in Vienna on Thursday for a two-day conference on the role sport can play in preventing racism, intolerance and discrimination.

The meeting, organized jointly by the Irish 2012 OSCE Chairmanship and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), will examine the important place sport has in combating racism and promoting inclusion. It will also provide an opportunity to review good practices from participating States, international organizations and civil society actors in this area.

The keynote speaker at the meeting will be Joia Jefferson Nuri, a prominent human rights activist from the United States in the area of human rights advocacy and protection, as well as human rights education.

Ambassador Eoin O'Leary, the Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council and Ireland's Permanent Representative to the OSCE, and Ambassador Janez Lenarčič, the ODIHR Director, will make opening remarks.

Journalists are invited to attend the opening day of the conference from 15:00 to 16:00 on 19 April in the Neuer Saal of the Hofburg Congress Centre.

Journalists are also invited to attend the second part of a roundtable meeting for civil society on hate crimes data collection and confronting intolerance. The meeting will take place on 19 April from 9:00 to 13:00, in the Ratsaal of the Hofburg Congress Centre.