For his social commitment in Togo, his father’s homeland Happy Auger-Also awarded the “Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award 2023” by the ATP.
by Dietmar Kaspar
last edited: December 14, 2023, 12:04 p.m
Felix Auger-Aliassime impresses with his social commitment off the court.
In terms of sport, 2023 was not Felix Auger-Aliassime’s year. Influenced by knee and shoulder injuries, the Canadian fell from 6th in the world rankings at the start of the season to 29th at the end of the year. At least his only title in Basel, where he arrived as defending champion in the fall, was able to prevent a worse crash.
Reload video content…
Nevertheless, there was an important reason for the ATP to honor the 23-year-old alongside the successful athletes. For four years he has been supporting children in Togo in collaboration with BNP Paribas through the #FAAPointsForChange# program and therefore received the “Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award”.
With the start of the 2020 season, for every point Auger-Aliassime earns, $20 will go to the aid fund, which will enable children in Togo to receive a better education. The focus is on the three pillars: preserving children’s rights, access to better education, easier access to sport.
The 2022 Davis Cup winner had big words when presenting the award: “When I heard that I would receive the award, I was pleasantly surprised. This is of course good news. But it’s not the drive to help others just so you can get an award for it. I know it was the same with Arthur.”
His motivation for support grew from his upbringing and his father’s role model: “My father Sam grew up in Togo, a country in the third world, where he found few opportunities in terms of education and sport. When he came to Canada, it was always important to him to give something back to his family and other friends in Togo. He often told us about the few options that the families there struggle with. This was hard for me to understand as a child, but as I grew up it clicked more and more for me.”
It is particularly important to Auger-Aliassime not only to provide the fiscal background of the program. From time to time he personally travels to Togo and gets an idea of the progress of the projects. Because of his social commitment, we wish the likeable Canadian a more successful year in 2024 so that the implementation of his projects continues to progress successfully.
2023-12-14 18:15:00
#AugerAliassime #honored #Humanitarian #Award #ATP #tennisnet.com
