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Publisher's Statement
Foreword
Feature
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Bulletin 61 print

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| Foreword | No.61 May 2011 |

President`s Message
Margaret Talbot

This edition of the Bulletin signifies our close relationship with the International Paralympic Committee, which is not only an ICSSPE member, but a major partner. The edition also signals ICSSPE’s commitment to inclusive sport and physical education.
The year 2011 seems already to be labelled as a year of disasters, and our thoughts and prayers have been with our colleagues in New Zealand, Japan and China, as they meet the enormous challenges caused by natural disasters this year. Some people might say in such situations that sport, sport science and physical education are marginal issues; but again, we hear of instances where sport and physical activity have provided much-needed respite from stress and anxiety, especially for children and young people.
This was one of the motives behind ICSSPE’s seminars on the use of sport in post-disaster relief, which have been running in the years since the south-east Asian Tsunami; another titled “Communities and Crisis – Inclusive Development Through Sport” will take place 21-26 November 2011 (www.icsspe.org/index.php)
The power of sport to heal is also behind the international conference in Israel, 15-17 September 2011, for which ICSSPE is working with the Israeli Ministries of Culture and Sport, and Regional Cooperation; the German Federal Ministry of the Interior; Football for Peace; Wingate Institute and Zinman College of Physical Education in Israel, and the Federal Institute for Sport Science in Germany, to make the first steps of a committed process, through “Sport as a Mediator between Cultures”. (http://www.icsspe.org/index.php?m=16&n=32&o=171&s=173)
All of us who work in international sport know that people and the relationships between them matter – often, more than politics and politicians. Individuals working in sport, physical education and sport science clearly cannot, alone, prevent or stop conflict. But they can demonstrate the will to work together and learn to understand each other, through shared endeavour; and they can help the children and young people they teach, coach or mentor, that they share a common humanity. There are already welcome signs of cooperation and bridge-building in the Middle East, in the lead up to the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. We hope that this forthcoming seminar will help in the process of reconciliation and trust-building; and that more countries will be able to commit to future events with the same aim. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-Moon, emphasised the need for sport to be mainstreamed into peace-building and peace-keeping, at the recent UN/IOC Forum on Sport for Development and Peace.
The burgeoning use of sport for development during the last decade is remarkable – sport for peace, sport for reconciliation, sport for inner city renewal and crime prevention, sport for nation- and community-building, sport for prevention or management of risk behaviours, sport for sustainability and economic development, sport for education ... The list grows! While significant funds, especially from governments and charities, have supported this work, the level of accountability is also growing, and there is increasing need and demand for good quality evidence of the impact of this work. It is unlikely that funding will continue, if aid agencies provide only film or photographs of children at play – despite their obvious enjoyment, and despite the clear respite they may get from difficult environments.The UN/ IOC Forum on Sport for Development and Peace in May, was followed by a meeting of the Working Group, which asked ICSSPE to provide a briefing paper on impact measurement. This is an excellent example of the value of science to support humanitarian action. Through science, we can help to sustain aid funding for those programmes that genuinely make a difference, either to individuals, or to systems, or both.
This was one of the topics covered during our recent meeting with the IOC President Jacques Rogge, who has genuine appreciation of the contribution of research and academic expertise to the development of performance in sport. At the same meeting, he agreed to provide a support statement for the ICSSPE Position Statement on Physical Education, a welcome indication of the deepening relationship between the IOC and ICSSPE. There are similar commitments from the International Paralympic Committee and several UN agencies. He also invited me to serve as a member of the Review Group for the Youth Olympic Games, whose membership includes Prof Dr Gudrun Doll-Tepper – a visible sign of his value for the contribution of science to this important review. We are discussing the potential for wider dissemination of the YOG educational materials in future, through national, regional and international organisations for sport pedagogy and physical education, to young people across the world.
The value of the wealth of expertise provided by ICSSPE members, and the richness of multi-disciplinary approaches which characterise ICSSPE, are demonstrated by the programme of keynote presentations and symposia that have been selected for ICSEMIS 2012 (International Convention of Science, Education and Medicine in Sport). It also illustrates the unique capacity of ICSSPE to bring together disciplines and fields of study to provide insights and understanding of the complex issues facing contemporary sport – especially when working with its partner organisations for ICSEMIS – the IOC, IPC, and the International Federation of Sport Medicine (FIMS). We look forward to welcoming you to Glasgow next year, for a feast of sport science and physical education.

Professor Margaret Talbot, PhD OBE FRSA
President

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