Global AIDS campaign launched ahead of ICC World Twenty20 encouraging young people across the world to 'THINK WISE?'

Sangakkara, Smith, Sehwag, Bracken and Guha lend their support to the campaign

Some of the world’s best-known cricketers will appear in THINK WISE, the new HIV initiative, which gets underway today (Thursday 4 June) coinciding with the start of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England. The campaign features messages and information to raise awareness about HIV which the organisers hope will make a positive impact on the lives of young people across the world and help to prevent new HIV infections.

Around 10 million people living with HIV are from major cricketing countries. This accounts for more than a quarter of all the people across the world who are HIV-positive.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, along with Virender Sehwag of India, South Africa skipper Graeme Smith, Australia’s Nathan Bracken and Isa Guha, a member of this year’s ICC Women’s World Cup-winning England team, will champion the campaign during the event, which begins at Lord’s tomorrow. This leg of the campaign will aim to confront a lack of education and awareness about HIV and the stigma associated with the virus.

Five new public service announcements (PSAs) featuring some of the players will be shown during the tournament on big screens at grounds, on the official event website (iccevents.yahoo.com) as well as by broadcasters across the globe. The PSAs show some of the champions meeting young people in South Africa and teaching them about how they can ‘THINK WISE’.

The THINK WISE initiative builds on a long-term partnership between the ICC, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) that for more than five years has reached out to the cricketing community to fight the global AIDS crisis.

By working with some of the game’s top players, the THINK WISE partnership aims to:

• Raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic within the cricket community

• Reduce stigma and discrimination surrounding the disease as experienced by those living with and affected by HIV

• Help prevent new HIV infections by encouraging informed decision-making through focused education and outreach

The THINK WISE partnership seeks to educate cricket players, coaches, commentators, broadcasters, volunteers and spectators about the AIDS epidemic, particularly around prevention, and deliver these messages at major ICC events and through broadcast which reaches an audience in around 200 countries.

THINK WISE champion Sangakkara said: “Being socially responsible is really important for me and the cricket community. Initiatives like THINK WISE are vital if we are to address issues around HIV and help empower young people to make informed decisions as they grow up. I am sure that the THINK WISE partnership will continue to expand and that the global cricket community will continue to support this campaign.”

THINK WISE champion Graeme Smith added: “I have seen first hand the impact that HIV has had in my country. I hope that cricket fans and youngsters around the world can respect the power of the disease and also those living with HIV. By making informed decisions we can help reduce new infections and develop strong communities.”

THINK WISE champion Isa Guha said: “HIV isn’t someone else’s problem. It’s important that cricketers are not only leaders on the pitch but are also leaders off the pitch. I hope that I can encourage girls and young women, in particular, to make sensible life choices.”

“I hope that people, and young people in particular, are educated about HIV and take the precautions they need,” added Virender Sehwag. “Everyone deserves the chance to have the information they need to make the right choices and protect themselves, and their loved ones from HIV.”

Nathan Bracken, THINK WISE champion, said: “HIV is not just an issue for some countries but is a global concern. I hope that the global cricket community will get behind the THINK WISE partnership so we can continue to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with HIV.”

In support of people living with HIV, players will wear red ribbons, the universal symbol of support for people affected by the disease, in the semi-finals and finals of the ICC World Twenty20 2009, which will be the first global cricket event to have a men’s and women’s tournament run simultaneously.

The THINK WISE partnership will expand later this year to include a new cricket for development initiative that will deliver HIV messaging to young people. An announcement to this effect is expected to take place during the ICC Champions Trophy 2009, hosted by South Africa at the end of September.

To view the THINK WISE public service announcements go to: http://cricket.yahoo.com/icc/think-wise/23/think-wise.

High-resolution photographs taken pf player visits to loveLife projects in South Africa are available for free download and editorial use from: http://iccfiles.sportcentric.org/index.php?dir=Corp+Website%2FThink+wise%2F