Mayor of Charlotte, Mrs. Vi Lyles expresses interest in hosting UNESCO Traditional Sports and Games Collective Consultations and event in the Charlotte, USA

Scott Wendel, President of the U.S Traditional Wrestling Society recently meet with the Mayor of Charlotte Mrs. Vi Lyles on the topic of preserving intangible cultural heritage. Mayor Lyles has been leading the United States in advancing cultural development for many years now.

Throughout her career, she has been focused on the importance of integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and communication to bring people together for the greater good. It is also exactly what the Charlotte City Council and the Mayor focus on each day – reaching across the aisle to inspire inclusion and support democracy regardless of background or political affiliation.

A historic proclamation was declared by Mayor Lyles that October 8th is proclaimed indigenous people’s day in Charlotte and all citizens to honor its observance. Lyles urged all to take time to reflect in the history of this land and to learn more about the deep history of the native population. After all, Lyles believes the best opportunity to change minds and influence decisions is through engagement that focuses on inclusion.

Mr. Wendel and his organization were so moved by such a historic advancement in cultural preservation that he felt compelled to honor the act by presenting to the mayor a much-deserved award for her inspirational leadership in advancing the cause of preserving intangible cultural heritage.

“It is truly a great day when our elected public officials represent the values of the people is such a positive and inclusive way,” Wendel said. “Mayor Lyles is truly bringing the people of Charlotte closer together”.

In the meeting, Wendel discussed his plan to select a large urban city with a diverse population to be the center of cultural preservation in the United States that will set a positive example for other major cities to follow. Wendel feels that Charlotte is the perfect city to embody the values and attitudes to lead the country into a more peaceful cultural understanding, tolerance and harmony.

While our country is at a tipping point of incivility, Charlotte is a place that values diverse experiences and inclusive dialogue. We can show that Charlotte is about inclusion and demonstrate our values of respect while honoring our differences.

Mayor Lyles expressed support for the concept of safeguarding and promoting TSG and also showed interest in the possibility of Charlotte hosting UNESCO TSG collective consultations, meetings and events in the upcoming years. The prior UNESCO TSG meetings have advanced the safeguarding and promotion of cultural heritage over the past few decades. Wendel recently made headlines when he represented the United States in the UNESCO TSG 4th Collective consultation in Turkey this past August. Having been invited by H.E. Bilal Erdogan to the forum for the revival of traditional sports held in Istanbul, Turkey August 2018 where WEC President Erdogan delivered a stirring presentation.

Mr. Wendel and UNESCO TSG Advisory committee rapporteur Mr. Shammi Rana have been working to organize the Pan American countries to safeguard, develop and promote traditional sports and games in the Americas. Mr. Wendel was tasked to coordinate a PanAm group under the guidelines of the International Association of Traditional Wrestling Sports which is the main stakeholder of UNESCO Traditional Sport and Games.

The United States Traditional Sports and Games Confederation is a cultural preservation nonprofit that protects and promotes the intrinsic values of indigenous and relocated peoples. The intangible cultural heritage of humanity comprises cultural practices and expressions that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raises awareness about its importance.

USA-TSG has successfully represented the USA in the World Nomad games in 2016 and 2018. It also organized and sent teams to compete in the Belt wrestling, Kazakh Kures, and Celtic world championships. The USA-TSG has put on many demonstrations, seminars, and clinics all in an effort to spread the growth of TSG in the States. Youth competitors traveled to Scotland to attend training camps with fellow students from France, England, and Iceland. They toured the countryside to visit the historic sites and compete in the Highland games.

A Scott Wendel, president of the U.S Traditional Wrestling Society with Shammi Rana Rapporteur Adhoc Advisory Committee Traditional Sports and Games, UNESCO

Wendel has worked in Education for the past 22 years and has been working tirelessly to close the academic achievement gap using cultural competency understanding in schools for students and staff as well as the community. Wendel states that the ability to understand and communicate allows effective interaction between people from diverse cultural backgrounds.

This competency encompasses developing positive attitudes toward cultural differences, gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and different worldviews. The future of this initiative begins with children. Wendel is in talks with two local public school systems to use this platform to increase student’s cultural competency to close the achievement gap.

The meeting was held under the supervision of Mr. Shammi Rana Rapporteur Adhoc Advisory Committee Traditional Sports and Games, UNESCO and Mr. Rana thanks Mayor of Charlotte Mrs. VI Lyle for her support to Concept of UNESCO on Traditional Sports and Games.

As a country, The United States is a true melting pot of many distinct cultures, it is the perfect location to host international cultural events to bring together all interested parties to participate in a cultural event that will be a celebration of traditional food, dance, art, music, and athletics.

Traditional attitudes and values have been marginalized due to an ever-increasing shift toward professionalism and commercialism. USA-TSG will continue to work to identify and unify diverse cultures through our activities. Knowing your cultural traditions and values and participating in them allows a person to gain a large piece of their heritage. This allows people to have their distinct way of life live on in future generations. Today we take one step closer to truly understanding our fellow man.