Dr Uri Schaefer

Dr Uri Schaefer was appointed to lead ICSSPE by the late President Professor Margaret Talbot in 2014. He was elected as ICSSPE President in 2016 and was re-elected for a second term in 2021.

From 2008 until 2016, Uri Schaefer was the Director of the Sport Administration within the Israeli Ministry of Culture and Sport. Prior to this commitment, he was the CEO of Israel’s National Center for Elite Sport, the famous Wingate Institute.

He is the founding President of the International Council for Coaching Excellence. After presiding this organisation until 2005, he became a board member in 2005.

With his experience at the interface of research, education and policy development, Uri Schaefer is a welcome guest speaker at many international events. He is a strong promoter of low-threshold and equal access to physical activity for all members of society, is a 1998 recipient of the Israel Olympic Committee Award for Outstanding Leadership and Contribution to Coach Education, and was elected to the International Jewish Sport Hall of Fame in 2017.

In June 2022, Dr. Uri Schaefer was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree (Dr.h.c) from UNEFS Universitatea Nationala de Educatie Fizica si Sport Bucuresti (the National University of Physical Education and Sports Bucharest) for his "huge contributions in developing the Physical Education and Sport domain around the world."