Saturday 3 April 2021 saw the start of the first Summit for Education Through Sport in Africa with the theme of ‘unlocking the potential of African youth through the power of sport’. With ISF as a main partner, the event was organised by ISF member, the Moroccan School Sport Federation lead by ISF Vice-President Youssef Belqasmi, under the umbrella of the Ministry of National Education. Beginning on 3 April the event will conclude on 6 April, during which both ISF President Laurent Petrynka and ISF Secretary General/CEO Hrvoje Custonka will take the floor, to address the summit and engage in discussions on the importance of school sport in education. The event will bring together sports educators and coaches, NGOs, young athletes and their families, elected officials and members of African governments, the private sector of the sports industry, socially engaged companies in the field of sport, experts, researchers, and leaders who work to promote access to sport for all.
The summit began with the opening words of the Minister of National Education for Vocational Training, Superior and Scientific Research Spokesperson for the Government, Mr Saaid Amzazi. This opening session of the summit saw Ministers and representatives from many different African countries take the stage, including Cameroon, Chad, Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritania, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, and Tunisia. The programme of speakers which saw ISF Secretary General/CEO Hrvoje Custonja address the summit, also included Mr Alexander Schischlik of UNESCO, and Mr Sam Vincent, of ISF member the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), from the United States of America.
When addressing the summit, ISF Secretary General/CEO Hrvoje Custonja was clear in defining the ISF message and objectives in regard to education and sport in Africa. "The vision of the ISF is one where sport and education combine to provide opportunities to all students, to empower themselves and become citizens of the world. From our perspective, the inclusion of school sport as an essential part of education is clear and obvious. We are delighted to now have 130 countries as members, including 37 from Africa, which demonstrates our commitment to building and developing school sport on the African continent.”
The ISF will continue its involvement in this inaugural Summit for Education Through Sport in Africa, with ISF President Laurent Petrynka participating in the roundtable discussions taking place Sunday 4 April. Other speakers featuring alongside him will be Deputy Regional Director - West and Central Africa - UN Women Florence Raes, Director of Morocco for the Agence Française de Développment (AFD) Mihoub Mezouaghi, Head of Sports for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) Emmanuel Pionnier and will be moderated by the president of Women Sports Africa Naima El Guermah and the president of Women Sports and Sponsoring.fr Bruno Lalande.
As a very active member of the ISF, the Moroccon School Sport Federation, under the umbrella of the Minsitry of National Education continues to engage in the development of school sport. Hosting this inaugural Summit for Education Through Sport in Africa is yet another occasion where our member in Morocco demonstrates its dedication to school sport and the topic of education through sport. The 17th ISF Gymnasiade in 2018 hosted by Morocco, was yet another example of the country’s active and dedicated approach. Similar to today, Minister of National Education for Vocational Training, Superior and Scientific Research Spokesperson for the Government, Mr Saaid Amzazi was a strong presence during the event of 2018, which was at that time, the largest event ever in ISF history. The success of that event was also in large part to the Secretary General of the same Ministry, and ISF Vice-President, Mr Youssef Belqasmi, who’s involvement was crucial to the success and logistical supervision of the event.
Event Website: Education Through Sport Summit – Premier Sommet Africain de l'Education par le Sport (educationsport.africa)
