Blair says sports can combat conflict

NEW YORK - Sport can change lives and help create social change in regions such as the Middle East, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Tuesday.

Blair, who is the Middle East envoy for the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, said that during visits to the region he had seen the power of sport in conflict resolution.

"One of the few things that works for young people particularly is to get them playing sport together," Blair said in an interview to promote Beyond Sport, a nonprofit group that promotes the use of sport in creating social change.