TAFISA
The Association For International Sport for All
LEADING THE GLOBAL SPORT FOR ALL MOVEMENT
FOR A BETTER WORLD
TAFISA Newsletter - March 2021
TAFISA Meets with EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel
On 16 March, TAFISA representatives including Vice-President Peter Barendse, Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann and Board Members Dionysios Karakasis and Janez Sodrznik, met with Mariya Gabriel, EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture Education and Youth.
The EU Commissioner highlighted the longstanding close partnership, which has been ongoing since 2008, between the European Commission and TAFISA, and looks forward to the ongoing cooperation. The meeting allowed the attendees to explore further opportunities of cooperation based on the new EU Workplan for Sport 2021 – 2024.
Commissioner Gabriel underlined the imminent launch of the new Erasmus+ programme and its sport chapter, introducing key priorities the European Commission will be actively pursuing in the coming years:
- Gender equality in sport
- Sport innovation and digitalisation
- Sport diplomacy
- Sport and the environment
- Healthy lifestyles
The discussion revealed the potential for TAFISA to support the European Commission in its endeavours by creating a bridge between Europe and other continents in the field of Sport for All – fostering experience sharing – and developing its educational offer through a future online Sport for All capacity building platform. TAFISA’s commitment to promote healthy lifestyles was confirmed by the organisation’s representatives, who proceeded to discuss the relevance of intergenerational approaches with the Commissioner.
Janez Sodrznik finally invited Commissioner Gabriel to join the 27th TAFISA World Congress in Portoroz, Slovenia.
TAFISA thanks Commissioner Mariya Gabriel for an inspiring and fruitful meeting, for a better world through Sport for All.
First Virtual Meeting with the FLOT Project Partners, Mentors, and Mentees
On 2 March, TAFISA hosted the first ever virtual meeting between the FLOT project partners, mentors, and mentees. This pivotal meeting gave the opportunity for everyone involved in the project to come together for the very first time, get to know one another and discuss the progress of the project so far as well as future plans and upcoming activities. In addition, the meeting gave the mentees a platform to introduce their individual projects and TAFISA presented the results of the mentee midway point evaluation as well as solutions to address challenges that were raised.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, the project partners are committed to achieving the set objectives of the project – to train the female Sport for All leaders of tomorrow! This is possible thanks to the ongoing hard work and determination of everyone involved. Well done to all for their contributions so far!
Check out the FLOT website for further information and updates!
Over 150 Join Workshop on Gender Equity on International Women's Day - March 10, 2021
The very first workshop of the TAFISA Mission 2030 Workshop Series took place on 8 March in celebration of International Women’s Day. Held in partnership with the ITTF Foundation, this inaugural Workshop on “Girls & Women Empowerment in Sport for All” addressed the issue of Gender Equity. Over 150 participants from all corners of the world joined the online event.
The Gender Equity Workshop was kicked-off by welcome words from Catherine Forde, TAFISA Vice President, who introduced the new innovative ways in which TAFISA is designing activities in an ever-increasing digitalised word, and the launch of the TAFISA Mission 2030 Workshop Series. Focusing on the topic at hand, Forde added: “TAFISA recognises the importance of not only increasing and enhancing opportunities for girls and women to undertake sport and physical activity opportunities, but also the necessity of equal representation at all levels, paving the way for future generations of women to have their voices heard“.
Relive the Workshop through our video playlist below or on YouTube.
TAFISA Member International Dance Organization (IDO) will be hosting a Webinar on Thursday 25 March. The IDO Webinar “The Challenges for the Management of Sports Organisations during COVID-19” is designed to provide participants with an introduction to the many issues that have been seen and experienced during the past year, while looking ahead with hope and optimism towards a brighter future for all.
Register by completing the Webinar Form on: https://forms.gle/6EGnQPkQkToDDe3T9
Zoom details will be sent to all registered attendees on Wednesday 24 March.
Participation is free of charge!
TAFISA Newsletter - February 2021
Following the success and increased need of virtual workshops in recent months, TAFISA is excited to announce the official launch of the TAFISA Mission 2030 Workshop Series. This brand new and exciting series will include twelve capacity-building workshops — one every two months over the next two years. Each Workshop is connected to a theme of TAFISA Mission 2030 – For a Better World Through Sport for All, and is accessible for all Global Sport for All stakeholders.
The Workshops are designed to enable the Global Sport for All Movement to not only use sport to drive social change, but also to provide the necessary tools, knowledge and know-how to tackle local, national and global challenges. TAFISA invites all Sport for All stakeholders to come together, discuss and debate challenges, and collectively establish solutions for change! Each Workshop will be jointly hosted by TAFISA and a specialist partner, and welcome guest speakers from all over the world.
The development of the Mission 2030 Workshop Series stems from TAFISA’s commitment to continuously strive for excellence. The Workshop offers knowledge exchange, a new and innovative form of cooperation, and non-formal education for TAFISA Members and the wider Sport for All community. Now, more than ever, it is important that the stakeholders of the Global Sport for All Movement pledge to work together and achieve our shared mission of a better world through Sport for All in a growing digitalised world.
TAFISA Newsletter – October 2020
One Year to Go! TAFISA World Congress 2021
Registrations are open, secure your participation! The next TAFISA World Congress will take place on October 6-10 in Portorož, Slovenia. More information and registration on the official Congress website: https://tafisa-slovenia2021.si/
The delegation was received by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Borut Pahor (second from right)
Slovenia Ready to Host TAFISA Congress 2021
As the 27th TAFISA World Congress will be held in Portorož, Slovenia, one year from now on 6-10 October, 2021, TAFISA Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann visited Slovenia for tour of inspection from 30 September to 1 October. Throughout his visit, he was accompanied by a delegation comprised of representatives from the Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Association of Sports Federations (OCS – ASF) and from Sports Union of Slovenia (SUS), both co-organisers of the Congress.
The visit kicked off on Wednesday 30th in the morning, as the delegation was welcomed to the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports by dr. Mojca Doupona, acting director of the directorate for sports, and Zoran Verovnik, in charge of international affairs at the directorate. Representatives of Slovenia were introduced to the Congress, which will be the largest event of its kind hosted by Slovenia and will be attended by some 500 prominent representatives of sport organisations from over 80 countries all around the world. The Congress has an important role to play in the development of Sport for All globally and in Slovenia. http://tafisa.org/news/InspectionTourSlovenia2021
The Female Leaders Of Tomorrow Website is Live!
Learn more about the project and find out about who the Mentees and Mentors are and how the project has been designed to offer development, empowerment and leadership to twenty women across thirteen countries in Africa and Europe. The website provides updates on news and resources which aim to empower and inspire girls and women to reach their full potential, inside and outside of sport. https://www.flotsport.org/
Thousands Pass the Baton from East to West in Worldwide Relay for TAFISA World Walking Day
On Sunday 4 October, people from all over the world joined the TAFISA World Walking Day – 24 Hours Around the Globe. This year’s event was a historic first and brought a new dimension to the World Walking Day. Participants took a stand to show transnational solidarity against the COVID-19 pandemic by passing the baton across time-zones from east to west in a planet-wide relay. Dozens of thousands hailing from 63 countries on all continents took part and shared powerful messages of peace, access to sport and education for all, gender equality, health, and solidarity against COVID-19 among many other causes, working together to create the most inclusive and accessible 24-hour relay.
In total, the baton was passed in 63 countries:
Albania, Antarctica (Italy-France Station), Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Barbados, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kosovo, Lesotho, Macao, China, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Zimbabwe.
TAFISA would like to shout a huge “Thank You!” to all those who made the event an unprecedented success, this would not have been possible without you all! The contributions and messages shared for the event were tremendous and TAFISA can only emphasise how proud and humbled the organisation is to see such dedication, commitment and enthusiasm from the Global Sport for All Movement. TAFISA is also grateful for the renowned ambassadors who offered their time and notoriety to help spread the word within their community; their special contributions will be highlighted in the special release due to be published in just a few days.
On 13-16 October, the Aspen Institute held its Project Play Summit 2020, which focused on engaging youth in sport and physical activity. TAFISA Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann was invited to provide an announcement as part of the session ‘Next Steps in Building a Youth-Centered Model for Sports‘. http://tafisa.org/news/ProjectPlaySummit2020
1st Congress on Active Cities in Guatemala
TAFISA Board Member Catherine Forde was invited to the online Congress on Active Cities hosted by the Guatemalan Olympic Committee on 8 October 2020 and tackled the topic of “The Importance of Physical Activity and Sport for All in Cities”. | Read More…
