Qatar Olympic Committee Affirms Commitment to Global School Sport Development at Inaugural ISF Convention

18 March 2015 – Doha, Qatar: The inaugural International School Sport Federation (ISF) Convention has begun today in Doha, Qatar. School sport experts and authorities from more than 40 countries have come together to discuss the challenges and future of global school sport.

Jointly hosted by the ISF, Qatar School Sport Association and Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), the Convention saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Qatar Olympic Academy (QOA) and ISF, as well as the launch of the ISF’s School Sport Foundation.

Speaking at the Convention, Secretary General of the QOC and President of the QOA, Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said:

"The Qatar Olympic Academy is extremely happy to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the International School Sport Federation. This MOU will serve to strengthen and build on the relationship that we already enjoy. Youth is a central theme of the IOC’s Agenda 2020 recommendations and we all have a responsibility to address the challenges that youth sports faces. We look forward to working together with the ISF to develop best practice for the future of school sport globally.

"29,319 students across Qatar have benefitted this school year alone from our Schools Olympic Program. There is no better way to introduce our young people to sport at a grassroots level, educate through the values of sport and develop healthy and responsible members of society. We will now work with the ISF to share the success of our Schools Olympic Program globally. We want as many schools as possible in as many countries as possible around the world to enjoy the same benefits that our Qatari children enjoy."

Now in its eighth edition, the SOP was launched as a legacy of the 2006 Asian Games and has grown from 7,099 participants from 300 schools in its inaugural year to 25,454 students from over 461 schools last year. The number of sports on the program has also risen this year to a total of 14, which includes Olympic and Paralympic sports. Students compete throughout the school year with the ultimate goal of qualifying for the finals, which are currently taking place at the famous Aspire Dome, another legacy of the 2006 Asian Games. Participants of the ISF Convention will be able to attend the SOP finals on 20th March and witness the success of the program first-hand.

The inaugural ISF Convention aims to address the challenges and future of global school sport by bringing together speakers with a range of expertise, including President of the International Olympic Academy, Isidoros Kouvelos, Executive Director of SportandDev, Jutta Englehardt, and Vice President of Sport and Citizenship, Vincent Chaudel. The two-day Convention will conclude with a series of recommendations that will address how the impact of school sport on young athletes can be increased and determine the approach for long-term success.

Speaking from the Convention, President of the ISF, Laurent Petrynka, said:

"We express our sincere gratitude to the Qatar Olympic Committee for hosting the ISF Convention and for their support for the ISF. Not only is Qatar the world capital of sport but it does not forget about its schoolchildren. We are very pleased to sign an MOU with the Qatar Olympic Academy and we look forward to promoting the good practices of the Schools Olympic Program to the whole world.

"This inaugural ISF Convention has been extremely important in progressing the ISF and deciding its future. The recommendations that have been made will be presented as a book of guidelines to all educational ministries around the world in order to promote school sport and ensure that there is more sport and more physical education in schools. We want to make a difference to the lives of all schoolchildren."

The ISF was founded in 1972 and has 80 member nations from five continents. It is a global governing body for school sport and holds international competitions to encourage education through sport. The QOC and ISF have enjoyed a long partnership and Doha has hosted both the 2009 ISF Gymnasiade and last week’s ISF Tennis World Schools Championships, staged at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, where the ATP and WTA tours are also played.

The ISF has also used the opportunity to launch their School Sport Foundation, which aims to tackle many of the problems that developing countries face with school sport development by providing support for teacher training, school sport authorities, sport equipment provision and rewarding best practices. The ISF and QOC called on the Convention’s delegates to support this worthy cause and help it achieve its fundraising goals.

Secretary General of the Qatar Schools Sport Federation, Mr Ali al-Hitmi, said:

"We believe in the vision and mission of the ISF and this Convention is very important to us. In the past few months our teams have worked hard to provide an atmosphere for a high level meeting and workshops that allows us together to promote the ISF’s vision and support its targets."

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