Message from the Office of ICHPER.SD Secretary General Dr. Adel M. Elnashar

First of all, I would like to invite you to share your thoughts, ideas, symposiums, and workshops at the 52nd ICHPER•SD Anniversary World Congress. By contributing to the World Congress, you can make it a more dynamic and well-rounded experience for everyone.

The history of the World Congress goes back to 1958, the year of the first World Congress which took place in Rome, Italy on the topic of Child Health and the School. Since then, there have been 32 ICHPER•SD World Congresses dealing with a variety of themes. We have also had the privilege, as a Middle East Region, to organize a World Congress previously in Cairo, Egypt in 1999 sponsored by the Minia University. The 2010 World Congress is sponsored by Qatar Olympic Committee and the theme is Quality Physical Activity Education and Science for All: A Gateway to Health and Olympic Caliber Performance. It has been a great 52 years in which ICHPER•SD has contributed to the world of professionals, scholars, teachers, and coaches. In these 52 years, ICHPER•SD has also produced quality physical education around the world. It is a great honor to be part of the 52nd Anniversary World Congress and Exposition in Doha, Qatar.

The World Congress largely impacts the development of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport & Dance in the world and in the eight regions. ICHPER•SD adds to the development of physical education and sport in both scientific and pragmatic ways. From a sociological perspective, sport, because it internalizes social circumstances, beliefs, values, attitudes, rules, aesthetics, and intellectual experiences, is a social system which transmits the dominant values of society at large. HPERSD has played, and continues to play, an integral part in the development of advanced industrial societies and has helped other societies get up to par. HPERSD contributes to society on a variety of levels: from education to health, and from ethics and politics to the productive use of leisure, stress relief, and cultural enjoyment. With changes in social and cultural values, the necessity, importance, and value of sport, physical education, and recreation have greatly increased.

The World Congress will enhance physical education and sport. Never has it been more important to maintain an energy about physical education and organizations like ICHPER•SD. ICHPER•SD is one of the oldest and most prestigious organizations of its kind, serving professionals in more than 204 countries. This is a great chance and challenge for the Middle East Region and the world to participate and gain knowledge from global scholars. Special thanks to the Qatar Olympic Committee for sponsoring this important World Congress and for making it happen.