EBU Awards Top Distinction to Uefa President
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced the award of its top distinction to Lennart Johansson, president of the European Football Association (UEFA).
'Lennart Johansson has been a steadfast defender of free-to-air sport on television,' EBU President Arne Wessberg said in a statement. 'This is a contribution to European life and the whole of society for which viewers and public broadcasters have every reason to be grateful.'
Johansson, 73, has been president of UEFA and vice-president of FIFA since 1990. He has also been honorary chairman of the Swedish Football Association since 1991.
Wessberg, who is director general of YLE (the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation), will present the EBU Award to Johansson personally at a ceremony in Stockholm on Saturday.
Based in Geneva, the EBU is the world's largest and most active association of national broadcasters. Apart from operating the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, it provides numerous legal, technical and other services to 71 Members which include every public service broadcaster in Europe.
On behalf of its Members, the EBU has signed with UEFA a contract for the TV rights to the 2004 European Football Championship which will take place in Portugal, continuing a long relationship between the two organizations.
The EBU Award was established in 1996 to honour outstanding contributions on the part of an individual or institution supporting or defending public service broadcasting.
It is presented to those 'whose actions or achievements have reinforced the values, enshrined in the EBU Statutes, of solidarity among human beings, the diversity of peoples and the freedoms of conscience, opinion and expression'.
The Award - in the form of a glass sculpture by Wojciech Mucha (Daum France) - has been presented on three previous occasions: in 1996 to Juan Antonio Samaranch (then president of the International Olympic Committee); in 1998 to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in December (for its annual New Year Concert); and in 2000 to Albert Scharf, for his contribution to public service broadcasting as president of the EBU for 18 years.
For further information information please contact:
EBU Communications Service
T: +41 22 717 2204
E: press@ebu.ch
'Lennart Johansson has been a steadfast defender of free-to-air sport on television,' EBU President Arne Wessberg said in a statement. 'This is a contribution to European life and the whole of society for which viewers and public broadcasters have every reason to be grateful.'
Johansson, 73, has been president of UEFA and vice-president of FIFA since 1990. He has also been honorary chairman of the Swedish Football Association since 1991.
Wessberg, who is director general of YLE (the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation), will present the EBU Award to Johansson personally at a ceremony in Stockholm on Saturday.
Based in Geneva, the EBU is the world's largest and most active association of national broadcasters. Apart from operating the Eurovision and Euroradio networks, it provides numerous legal, technical and other services to 71 Members which include every public service broadcaster in Europe.
On behalf of its Members, the EBU has signed with UEFA a contract for the TV rights to the 2004 European Football Championship which will take place in Portugal, continuing a long relationship between the two organizations.
The EBU Award was established in 1996 to honour outstanding contributions on the part of an individual or institution supporting or defending public service broadcasting.
It is presented to those 'whose actions or achievements have reinforced the values, enshrined in the EBU Statutes, of solidarity among human beings, the diversity of peoples and the freedoms of conscience, opinion and expression'.
The Award - in the form of a glass sculpture by Wojciech Mucha (Daum France) - has been presented on three previous occasions: in 1996 to Juan Antonio Samaranch (then president of the International Olympic Committee); in 1998 to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in December (for its annual New Year Concert); and in 2000 to Albert Scharf, for his contribution to public service broadcasting as president of the EBU for 18 years.
For further information information please contact:
EBU Communications Service
T: +41 22 717 2204
E: press@ebu.ch