ICSSPE delivers Third Consultation Workshop for IOC and WHO "Sport and Health Capacity Development Initiative" in Fiji

From 9 to 11 September 2025, the third consultation and co-creation workshop for the global Sport and Health Capacity Development Initiative was hosted at Fiji National University, Suva, Fiji.

Framed by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympism365 Strategy and World Health Organisation’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018–2030 (GAPPA), this initiative is being conducted under a technical cooperation project signed between both institutions with the objective to strengthen the role of community sport and physical activity in building healthier, more active communities.

With the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) serving as delivery leads, this initiative aims to develop, design and pilot two professional development courses focused on leveraging community sport and physical activity to promote health and wellbeing, as well as to promote sport and health professionals to strengthen collaborative approaches among the two sectors.

A total of 28 organisations participated in a two-and-a-half-day workshop that sought expert feedback from professionals from the Pacific, including Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Australia, Vietnam, Palau, Cook Islands, Vanuatu, and New Zealand across the sport and health sectors.

“What stood out in the week was the spirit of collaboration. The collaboration between the IOC, WHO, ICSSPE and University of the West Indies embodies the Olympism365 approach on collective action for wider impact. It was pleasing to see this collaboration extended to all stakeholders in the Oceania region working together on this initiative. For the Pacific, it is particularly meaningful as it supports the capacity to address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases as a major challenge, while building on the region's strong community and cultural ties to sport to foster wellbeing and resilience."

Auvita Rapilla, IOC Member, Papua Guinea

The collaborative efforts and invaluable contributions from this workshop mark a significant step towards the initiative's goal to create impactful professional development courses that harness the power of sport and physical activity to improve global health outcomes.

Once the consultation and design processes are completed, the course will be an open source learning material available for professionals around the world.