Sauber Petronas Formula One Racing Team to Include HIV/AIDS Awareness Slogans on Cars as Part of Joint U.N. Project

Formula One's Sauber Petronas team, which sponsors drivers Nick Heidfeld and Felipe Massa, will feature HIV/AIDS awareness slogans on its cars in three upcoming Formula One races, the Canadian Press reports. As part of a joint project sponsored by UNAIDS and the United Nations Development Program, the cars will feature the slogan "STOP-AIDS" and will be decorated with the red ribbon, a symbol for AIDS awareness (Canadian Press, 9/12). The decorations will be featured at upcoming races in Monza, Italy, Indianapolis, Ind., and Suzuka, Japan, and are intended to support fundraising efforts for two U.N.-sponsored projects in Botswana that supply housing assistance and care to children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS-related causes. Botswana has the highest HIV prevelance rate in the world, with 39% of adults between the ages of 15 and 49 estimated to be HIV-positive. Peter Sauber, team principal, said, "We are proud to do our part to fight an epidemic that has become one of the main obstacles to health and development in many countries. It is clear that all sectors of society, including car racing, can help halt the spread of AIDS." Adolf Ogi, special adviser to the U.N. Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, called the partnership "another example of positive cooperation between the world of sports and the United Nations," and said that the "high profile of Formula One racing is exactly the type of platform that the worldwide fight against AIDS requires" (UNAIDS release, 9/12). On average, 350 million people worldwide watch each Formula One race, and in 2001, a total of 54 billion people watched Formula One races and related news coverage, making it one of the most-watched sports in the world (Sauber Petronas release, 9/12).