Foreword
No.44
May 2005
 
    

Message of the President

The year 2005 started with exciting events which were organised in the context of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. In February 2005 the Protestant Academy in Bad Doll, in co-operation with ICSSPE and the German Olympic Committee as well as the German Sport Confederation, hosted an international conference on ‘Sport and Development’ which brought together experts from around the world to exchange experiences on the development of sport and development through sport. Different scientific, economical and cultural perspectives were shared, helping to gain a better insight into current developments in different regions of the world and into new challenges in a globalised world. Special attention was given to practical projects and initiatives which clearly indicated the need for such efforts using physical activity and sport as a means of mutual understanding. Mr Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, addressed the participants with an impressive speech, highlighting the role of sport as a “school of life”.
Only a few weeks later in March 2005, the government of Tunisia, who had presented the proposal for the international year to the UN General Assembly in 2003, hosted an international congress on “Sport and Health”, another highly important event which brought together experts from all regions of the world. On that occasion ICSSPE launched its most recent publication “Health Enhancing Physical Activity”. It explains why physical activity is important for public health, what kind of and how much physical activity provides health benefits, and how to change physical activity behaviour. This new publication is an excellent resource for researchers, teachers and students, policy makers, administrators, professionals and other actors in sport and health sciences. Special thanks are expressed to all who made a contribution to this remarkable publication.
ICSSPE welcomes two new staff members in the Berlin Executive Office, Ms Amandeep Chima, who is our new Publications and Scientific Affairs Manager and Ms Andrea Blume, who is responsible for Secretariat and membership issues.
Many international and national events are currently planned and organised as part of the celebration of the International Year of Sport and Physical Education. An overview of these events on international level can be accessed via the IYSPE 2005 website:
www.un.org/sport2005. We would like to invite you all to share with us any event that you are planning, so that it can be included in the official list of events.
Currently, plans are also underway for a 2nd World Summit on Physical Education to be held in Magglingen, Switzerland, from 2-4 December 2005, closely connected with the final event of the International Year on “Sport and Developments II” in Magglingen. We hope to welcome many of you on both of these occasions.

Prof. Dr. Gudrun Doll-Tepper
President, ICSSPE


http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-may2005.htm