Athletes in Action around the World
Basketball…cricket…rugby…soccer…field hockey…table tennis…around the world AIA is using the one language of sport to offer hope
and life to hurting and broken people.
There are over 6,000 spoken languages around the world today. But there is one language that rises above all spoken languages—the
language of sport. It was recently estimated that 3.5 billion people viewed parts of the Summer Olympics recently held in Athens, Greece.
From Albania to Zambia kids know what to do when a soccer ball is tossed onto a field. From Zimbabwe to Australia a rugby ball has the potential
to build bridges between people of diverse backgrounds, cultures and languages.
In most cultures the value system highly esteems the performance of the athlete and gives him or her a national platform of influence. The
nations that look up to athletes as heroes must find those heroes looking up to God. AIA wants to help build an army of sport heroes around
that have a character worth modeling.
Recently, the President and First Lady of Guatemala commended AIA national leader Cristobal Chamales and his wife Ixi for their role in
building godly character into the lives of Guatemalan athletes. In a November 2004 ceremony at the National Palace, the Chamales were exhorted
to continue their good work among the nation’s athletes.
AIA staff members and trained associated currently serve the needs of athletes in 75 countries around the world. You are invited to help
us make a difference and get into the game that counts for eternity!
Global Life Partners
In October 2002 a team of business executives called Global LIFE was formed to help initiate and accelerate sports ministry around the world.
Many of these executives had invested their time and influence on an AIA international project and wanted to continue their involvement.
Currently the team consists of 10 couples committed to serve by giving Labor, Influence, Finances and Expertise. Cliff Bartow and his wife
Bev serve as the Executive Chair for Global LIFE. Since 2002, Cliff has personally traveled with AIA ministry projects to Mali, Greece and
South Africa. Cliff is the former Chief Executive Officer for Luxottica Retail (Lenscrafters and Sunglass Hut) and currently serves as Chief
Operating Officer for the Family Christian Stores where he is responsible for directing all marketing, merchandising and operational activities
for 300 store retail chain that provides Christian resources.
Global LIFE is divided into four geographic work teams; Africa and the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Each geographic team
works with AIA staff members in that part of the world to assist in giving strategic direction, assess ministry priorities and provide valuable
resources.
Contact Us about Global Life
Please contact Kara Spitz: Kara.Spitz@athletesinaction.org
