Asia Game Changers: Award for breaking stereotypes, delivering message of hope

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Eight Asian individuals and groups have received the Asia Game Changer Awards at a ceremony in New York. They were recognized for breaking stereotypes and bringing the message of hope. CGTN's Wang Guan reports.

From the 12 Thai soccer boys who have been trapped in an underground cave and survived after 17 days to the all-girl Afghan Robotics Team who were temporarily denied U.S. visas and later went on to win major awards.

Eight Asian individuals and groups have been awarded 2018 Game Changer of the year by Asia Society, a leading U.S. non-profit organization that connects Asia and the West. In a year that saw its fair share of conflicts, the society recognized these individuals as messengers of hope and peace.

One Thai soccer boy said it was peace - or inner peace, rather - that helped him through the ordeal.

EKKAPOL CHANTAWONG THAI CAVE FOOTBALL COACH "He's saying he meditated for some, some time, so that everybody could have a calm kind of feeling, keeping everyone calm and then the other children meditated with him."

The Asia Game Changer Awards are also about breaking glass-ceilings. Born and raised in India, Indra Nooyi was the first female CEO of PepsiCo, the second largest beverage producer in the world.

BILL CLINTON FORMER US PRESIDENT "You can only make change if you make it for other people. Breaking the glass ceiling is a big deal."

The organizers made sure it's also about the unsung heroes. Such as a former child soldier in Nepal who later become the country's champion distance runner.

The rescue workers who risked their lives during Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster. An Iraqi doctor who fled the Saddam Hussein regime, only to become a pioneering surgeon. Representing China, real estate tycoon Wang Shi received the award for his advocacy for environmental sustainability.

TOM NAGORSKI EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, ASIA SOCIETY "They are inspiring. They are about by and large messages of hope, about people who have had triumphs because of their resilience. Asians are under-represented. So first of all, we want to bring some recognition to a part of the world, which no matter how you look at it, is the most important part of the planet."

Despite growing regional and global geopolitical tensions, the Asia Society says these people remind countries that as different as they might be, their common humanity matters more. Wang Guan, CGTN, New York.