Preparations underway for physical literacy conference

Manama, Apr. 16 (BNA): Bahrain was once again granted to host another major regional sports gathering this year, as the International Conference on Physical Literacy for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) will be embraced by the kingdom from September 9 to 11. The three-day conference is organized by the Bahrain Olympic Academy, which is under the Bahrain Olympic Committee, in cooperation with Podium Conferences, based in Victoria Canada, and the Sport for Life Society. Marischal De Armond, president of Podium Conferences, said he was excited to bring such an event here in Bahrain in an attempt to expand knowledge and awareness about physical literacy on both, how to apply in practical settings, and to build policies to support healthy communities. The conference is designed to attract representatives of a variety of ministries both here in Bahrain and within the region, ministries like health, recreation, education, economy. "We are excited with the fact that Bahrain as a nation has created an initiative around physical literacy together with my partners in Canada sport for life society we manage and deliver international physical literacy conferences around the world," said De Armond. "Because the leadership of Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa and the work that they are doing in Bahrain we are excited to be putting on the first IPLC or International Physical Literacy Conference for Middle East and North Africa here in Bahrain". De Armond was recently in Bahrain for three days at the invitation of Abdulrahman Askar, the general secretary of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, to review venues and to search out appropriate locations for the international physical literacy conference. "What I found is a wealth of excellent venues and services and a willingness in this country to really be hospitable hosts, this is leaving need to be quite excited about the value and quality of the conference that will put on in September, 2018," said De Armond. The conference will attract those delegates to learn more about how they can build and prepare policy to support these. In addition, the conference will attract practitioners, those people who are engaged with our citizens, both at the early ages, youth all the way up through to adult hood, to make sure that they understand the basic principles of physical literacy to see how to deliver those principles in practical settings and helping set a tone and an activity guide for people to be more physically literate, and therefore be healthier throughout their lifetime. The conference has some of the leading lights in physical literacy as it is expected to have five presenters worldwide to be here, three of those are coming from Canada, Wales and New Zealand. "Together with the experts that are becoming more known from Bahrain, we expect to have a very strong program to deliver to the delegates in attendance," added De Armond.