Vijay Amritraj named U.N. messenger of peace

Veteran Indian tennis star and sports announcer Vijay Amritraj will be named a U.N. "messenger of peace" on Thursday, and will be in charge of helping focus world attention on the world body's work.

Amritraj's appointment is to be announced by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, U.N. officials said on Wednesday.

He will be the eighth person so honoured, joining an elite group that already includes three-time world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, freelance journalist and human rights campaigner Anna Cataldi, actor Michael Douglas, French-Algerian singer Enrico Macias, opera star Luciano Pavarotti, author Elie Wiesel and basketball legend Magic Johnson.

Amritraj competed in top national and international tennis events for 17 straight years and in the Davis Cup competition for 20 consecutive years.

Since 1992 he has been the anchor and host of Wimbledon and other Grand Slam broadcasts for STAR TV, now known as ESPN-STAR Sports, reaching audiences in more than 60 countries in Asia and the Middle East.

He also has devoted time to the campaign against AIDS and other charitable causes and is currently helping to raise money to assist victims of the recent earthquake in Gujarat.