New York, May 15 (IANS): UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon suffered a fracture in his left hand while playing in the UN diplomats' spring soccer tournament and now has his arm in a sling, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said.

The 67-year-old Ban "has to wear a cast for the next six weeks", Xinhua quoted Nesirky as saying at a daily news briefing.

"He's otherwise absolutely fine and in great spirits," the spokesman said.

The secretary-general fell to the ground Saturday in the tournament at the Bel Aire Farm estate in New York. He was back in office at the UN Headquarters Monday.

"Sport has become a world language, a common denominator that breaks down all the walls, all the barriers," Ban said at the 2nd International Forum on Sport, Peace and Development in Geneva in May last year.

"It is a worldwide industry whose practices can have widespread impact. Most of all, it is a powerful tool for progress and for development," he said.