Sharapova helps Chernobyl disaster victims

UNITED NATIONS - Russian tennis star Maria Sharopova will visit Belarus to take part in a UN project aimed at helping youth affected by a massive explosion in Chernobyl nuclear reactor 24 years ago.

Sharapova, 23, who is also a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), will travel to the area near the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the country’s southeast after the Wimbledon tournament which will conclude next week, UN officials said Thursday.

The three-time Grand Slam champion is scheduled to visit a local arts centre where children work on projects to beautify the town and learn about the environment.

She will also tour a health facility and meet students who have won university scholarships from her charitable foundation, Xinhua reported.

Sharapova, whose family fled Gomel a year before she was born because of radiation concerns after the nuclear plant explosion, said she wanted to contribute to the recovery of the region.

“Giving young people the tools they need to reach for their dreams is a good way to overcome the Chernobyl legacy,” she said.

The Sharapova Foundation, in partnership with UNDP, supports seven youth-oriented projects and a scholarship programme in areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine that were affected by the accident.

“Sharapova’s work in this region will convey a message of optimism to young people, in a once-blighted region, where a return to normal life is now a realistic project,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark.