The Latin American Sport for All Movement Comes Together at Cubamotricidad Conference

The scientific conference “Cubamotricidad”, organised by the Cuban Institute of Sport, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) and with the support of TAFISA was officially opened on Monday October 22, in the “Ciudad Deportiva” of Havana City, headquarters of INDER.  

Introduced by elite athletes from Cuba, local children and youth groups performed a variety of dances and songs from the Cuban repertoire, highlighting the “Physical Culture of Peace” as the main topic of the 5-day Conference. Over 350 delegates from 49 countries were welcome by INDER President Dr. Antonio Becali Garrido as participants to the event promoting Sports and Physical Activity.   

The conference provided an excellent platform for TAFISA to get closer to its members in Latin America and to reactivate ties with several organisations and academics in the region.  This held especially true during the TAFISA Workshop on Sport for All learning and experience exchange which took place within the frame of Cubamotricidad on October 24.  

The TAFISA Workshop started with a master lecture from TAFISA President Prof. Dr. Ju-ho Chang on the current development of the global Sport for All movement and TAFISA's leading role in the movement.  Following the well-received lecture, the audience provided questions and comments showing the deeply shared interest for the further development of the global Sport for All movement in Latin America.

The lecture was followed by TAFISA Treasurer Herzel Hagay detailing TAFISA's main working areas and TAFISA's Mission 2030, a document designed as a roadmap and framework for concerted action for the Sport for All Movement to join forces and combat the physical inactivity pandemic.  Spanish copies of Mission 2030 were distributed to the organsations present in the workshop.  TAFISA Vice-President Catherine Forde then introduced the Americas Alliance for Sport for All, sharing information on the initiatives undertaken by TAFISA for the establishment and future development of this regional network.  This was complemented by TAFISA Project Manager Maria Lourdes Gonzalez who presented the final results and conclusions of the "Sport for All in the Americas" survey conducted in the first half of 2018. 

The TAFISA Workshop was an innovative format that successfully created a friendly and open space for dialogue, cooperation and hard work.  Counting 30 representatives from 12 countries (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Curacao, Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Argentina), the participants were able to meet each other, learn more about the Sport for All activities in other countries and brainstorm together about their needs, their possibilities and their expectations in the cooperative work they have accepted to undertake under the guidance and leadership of TAFISA and the Americas Alliance for Sport for All.  

With a strong drive to continue working together and start frequent communication for the development of the Sport for All movement in the Americas, organisations left the Workshop with a positive attitude and a strong enthusiasm.  TAFISA will endeavour to keep building bridges between people and organisations, providing platforms for networking and experience exchange and continue leading the global Sport for All movement.