Palestine: Workshop on the FIFA/CIES Programme

Over 50 people attended the workshop on the FIFA/CIES Programme organised on 7 November at the Continuing Education Centre of Birzeit University (BZU), a CIES partner since 2009.

The workshop brought together representatives of the main sports organisations in Palestine, including the President of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) and of the National Olympic Committee, top-level athletes, national football team players, FIFA/CIES Programme students and alumni and representatives of Birzeit University.

The good news was that the students and alumni of the FIFA/CIES Programme emphasised the great quality of the curriculum taught by BZU, in particular its adaptation to the needs of Palestinian sport.

Participants indicated that they would like courses to focus even more on local realities in order to improve management of Palestinian sport more rapidly and concretely. Several avenues were explored during the workshop, including a survey aimed at better defining administrative challenges facing sports organisations in Palestine, involving more experts to implement a more practical approach to indispensable theory classes and linking the final group projects to issues related to local sport (for example: topics proposed by sports organisations).

CIES thanks Birzeit University and the Palestinian Football Asspciation for their excellent and motivating initiative. The workshop allowed all the parties present to review a fruitful academic partnership and to make it even more dynamic in the future.