Children from Laureus Sport for Good Foundation projects enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime when they met 2008 Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton at Kyalami race track in Johannesburg.
The young people from Durban and Johannesburg in South Africa and Seenigama in Sri Lanka were attending a four-day youth project exchange - and the highlight of the visit was the chance to meet Lewis and take part in a kart race on the former Formula One circuit.
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton, winner of the 2008 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Award, who had flown to Johannesburg following his thrilling second place in the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai on Sunday, said: "It's great to be here and meet the kids from the Laureus projects. I told them how important sport was to me when I was their age and how it gave me so much. Not everyone can be a world champion, I've been very lucky, but sport can make a difference in so many ways. It can give you focus, team-spirit, responsibility and self-esteem. It really can change people's lives."
Lewis Hamilton's visit to Kyalami was organised by Vodafone, Global Partners of Laureus, who will be activating a campaign to showcase their work with Laureus to empower young people through the use of sport.
