They will be joined Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgi, Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, London Mayor Boris Johnson and Wilfred Lemke, a special advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
 

Blair, the chairman of the Beyond Sport Ambassadors, said: “Nobody is pretending that sport alone can solve the world’s most intractable problems but it has a role to play.

 

"I know from my own work in the Middle East how sport can help bridge the divides between communities.

 

"Beyond Sport seeks to find and reward those individuals and initiatives which are using sport to help make the world a better place.”

 

Having closed the entry process for the inaugural Beyond Sport Awards with over 265 projects from more than 80 countries submitting their initiatives to be judged, attention now focuses on the Beyond Sport Summit, a unique three-day event that brings together influential leaders within the world of sport and development.

 

The Summit will see corporate chief executives and international sports federation chiefs sit down with political leaders and representatives from international aid, peace and development organisations, all with the aim of creating momentum behind sport-led social innovation.

 

Branson said: “Sport has the power to heal many of the world’s problems and we’re delighted to support an initiative that creates more social entrepreneurs and drives forward positive change in communities that need it the most.”