Ali, Blatter, Serena Praise Mandela

•The late Nelson Mandela wears boxing gloves

•The late Nelson Mandela wears boxing gloves

When it came to sports, Nelson Mandela had the ability to inspire inspirational figures and leave global stars star-struck.

The former South African president, Nobel Peace Prize winner and anti-apartheid leader died Thursday at the age of 95, leading to a vast outpouring of tributes from the world’s best-known athletes and top sporting bodies.

•The late Nelson Mandela wears boxing gloves
•The late Nelson Mandela wears boxing gloves

Boxing great Muhammad Ali said Mandela inspired others to “reach for what appeared to be impossible.”

“What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge,” Ali said in a statement through his foundation.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he and world soccer were in mourning at Mandela’s passing and ordered that the 209 flags of the world body’s member countries at FIFA headquarters in Switzerland be flown at half-staff.

•Mandela during his days as a boxer
•Mandela during his days as a boxer

“It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time and a dear friend of mine: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela,” Blatter said.

“It’s sad for everyone who got a chance to not only meet him, but I’ve been influenced by him,” golfer Tiger Woods said. “I got a chance to meet him with my father back in ’98. He invited us to his home, and it was one of the inspiring times I’ve ever had in my life.”

World’s number one female tennis player, Serena has expressed her grief over the death of Mandela.

The tennis star described the Nobel laureate winner, popularly called ‘Madiba’, as a man whose ‘one life’ changed many other lives.

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Serena further stated that the legendary anti-Apartheid revolutionary was an individual who led one of the most ‘impactful lives of our time’.

The US Open champ took to her twitter handle,@serenawilliams, to express her grief over the death of the man who died of a protracted lung infection.

“Nelson Mandela led one of the most impactul lives of our time. Meeting him helped me understand life is full of ups and downs…

“But how you recover from the downs and how you can help people no matter what race or background by your choices and decisions matters,” she tweeted Friday’s morning.

NBA star LeBron James said: “In his 95 years, he was able to do unbelievable things not only for South Africa but for the whole world. What he meant to this world while he was able to be here is everything.”

As much as sportsmen and women loved Mandela, he in turn loved sport and appreciated its enormous potential to do good. Nowhere more than in his own country, where he famously used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to knock down the last barriers of apartheid.

“A remarkable man who understood that sport could build bridges, break down walls, and reveal our common humanity,” International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said in a statement to The Associated Press, calling Mandela “a true statesman.”

 

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