The Sudan Olympic Committee Receives GSP Executive Staff

Steve DeVoss and Dennis Chamberlain recently traveled to Sudan to meet with the Sudan Olympic Committee. They were received warmly by the Olympic committee’s president, Mr. Hashim Haron Ahmed, and secretary general, Mr. Ahmed Abou Elgasim Hashim. Steve and Dennis are very grateful for the hospitality shown to them by the Sudan Olympic Committee and are excited for the partnership developing with the committee.

While they were there, the committee orchestrated opportunities for Steve and Dennis to meet with four sport Olympic federations. They met with the leadership of the wrestling, tennis, basketball and athletic federation. Steve and Dennis also attended youth and men’s basketball exhibition game and took a tour of the men’s tennis Olympic facilities. GSP is looking forward to providing the Sudan Olympic Committee with professional sport development services by supplying them with customized sport solutions.

GSP president, Steve DeVoss, looks forward to the sport opportunities in Sudan.

Rafael Gomes Leads Football Player and Coach Development in Kuwait

Rafael Gomes, a GSP Rep, is completing a three-month assignment in Hawali, Kuwait as the lead football developmental coach. He is the head coach for all the boy participants in the Brazil Football Academy of Kuwait. The players are between the ages of five and nine and are split into three main groups. In coaching the participants, Gomes is not only striving to improve the athletes’ football abilities but also to equip the local coaches with the resources and tools that they need to continue to build up the program. 

GSP Tunis Introduces the Game of Ultimate Frisbee

GSP Tunisia Reps, Jared and Abi, have introduced the game of Ultimate Frisbee to the young men and women of Tunisia. GSP’s work normally involves supplying sport federations with high quality services in the field of sport development and training. However, as an important part of our corporate mission GSP pursues opportunities to introduce new sports into local communities in order to encourage physical activity and increase participation in sport. The game of Ultimate Frisbee is a fun and interactive sport that allows individuals of all ages and skill levels to participate.

GSP Tunisia is developing a dedicated group of men and women who are learning how to play Ultimate as well as building a new sport community. Coming from different sport backgrounds that include football, wrestling, judo, track, and many who have no sport experience at all, the Ultimate players have united around a new banner with a vision to grow the sport and compete at a high level. Playing Ultimate in Tunis has created a unique environment that allows Tunisians of all performance levels and backgrounds to work together and reach new goals. 

Saudi Basketball Girls Compete and Win

The Jeddah Ballers basketball team was led to victory by two GSP coaches in Saudi Arabia last month. For the past year and a half, the nine to eleven-year-old girls have trained with their coaches but were only been able to participate in one competitive game. However, that changed when the Jeddah Ballers competed in their second game and finished victorious.

Their coaches were not only proud of the girls for their win, but also for the way that the Jeddah Ballers treated the other players during and after the game. Mark, one of the proud coaches, spoke about how the girls played terrific “but more than that, they were encouraging and gracious to their opponents after the game was over.” The team is now looking for more competitive matches in order to improve their basketball skills as well as develop positive character traits through the game. 

GSP Reps Present at IAAAC 2016 Conference

GSP Reps Dave and Katie Johnson, Certified Athletic Trainers, presented at the International Association of Athletics Administrators and Coaches (IAAAC) 2016 conference held in Bangkok, Thailand. This was Dave's 5th IAAAC conference as a presenter and lecturer and Katie's first. Dave and Katie led three workshops on correct procedures and techniques for taping. They also presented lectures on sports nutrition and basic sports medicine concepts.

The IAAAC conference is held annually and offers approximately 50 sessions in theory and practical application for coaches and athletic administrators of international schools. The number of participants is capped at 110 and it has quickly sold out each of the past 2 years. The participants are generally from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, with a few from Northern Africa as well.

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GSP President Steve DeVoss promotes the Brazil 2016 Olympic Truce Campaign

“Making Peace on Earth a Reality this Summer”

As a member of the Supporters Group of the Olympic Truce Campaign and as an essential part of GSP’s global involvement, Global Sports Partners President, Steve DeVoss, promoted the Brazil 2016 Olympic Truce Campaign during the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.

Building on the momentum created by the Supporters Group’s meeting at the London 2012 Olympics and the affirmation of all 193 United Nations member states signing the Olympic Truce in 2011, Mr. DeVoss eagerly moved forward in advocating the idea of a period of peace during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

DeVoss met with Olympic delegations from numerous countries where GSP is active, soliciting their support for promoting the Olympic Truce

The goal of the Olympic Truce Campaign is to build a global network of peace ambassadors from the most vulnerable areas and cities in the world in order to promote the idea behind the Olympic Truce as a time of peace during the biggest worldwide sporting event. While one of the major action steps and measures of the movement, i.e. a One Minute Silence at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, could not be accomplished during this year’s Olympics, the Wall of Peace was erected in the Athletes Village. Many famous sportsmen and women put their signature on the wall to express their mutual support of the Olympic Truce. 

DeVoss and Global Sports Partners welcome all-comers to the cause. 

To learn more visit this link or Contact GSP directly.

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Building Bridges with Basketball in Spain

Sport is a universal language, bringing people together across cultures and continents. GSP recently participated in a series of basketball friendly matches in southern Spain. A team of athletes from the United States competed against Spanish club teams from Córdoba and Málaga (Alhaurín de la Torre).

The players competed on the court, shared life experiences and encouraged one another to press forward in making a difference through sport and business. The athletes from the United States enjoyed touring the city of Córdoba and the port of Málaga. Friendships were formed as the teams shared a post-match meal together.

This positive experience allowed the Spanish teams to test their level of play while competing against an opponent with a different style of play.  Another example of how GSP's projects help clients improve performance and inspire purpose!

GSP Experts Train Youth Soccer Coaches

Level II-B Coaches Training

The ongoing Saudi Youth Sports Initiative (SYSI) program continued during the last week of January in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Ten coaches were enrolled in this Level II-B Coaches Training, held at the Fisal Zahid Sports Park.

Each of the participants previously attended Levels I and II-A of the coaches training taught by GSP experts from the United States. Only those who has successfully completed the earlier courses were allowed to attend. Each coach was given a notebook on the first day and each day thereafter was given the pages of study, training and exercises for that day's training. Time was spent both in the classroom for preparation and explanations, as well as on the field in practicum. The final two days were evaluation days where the GSP experts, Coach Craig Lange and Coach Doug Williams, observed and examined each individual coach's practice plan and how it was  carried out on the field with players.

In the end, eight of the coaches successfully completed the course and were awarded their certificates. Over the next year they will be implementing their training with the respective teams that they each coach. Periodic visits by GSP staff and FZ Park directors will be carried out to provide on-going evaluation. At the end of the year, successful coaches will be provided an opportunity to advance to a higher level of certification.

Bravo to our experts on a job well done and to the coaches who attended each and every session.

GSP and the WNBA in the Arabian Peninsula!

In March 2015, Global Sports Partners collaborated with the US State Department to bring Ruth Riley, former WNBA star, and Becky Bonner, NBA Assistant Coordinator for International Basketball Relations, to Saudi Arabia to interact with women and girls engaged in the local sport, health and fitness lifestyle.  Over the course of a busy week, Ruth and Becky traveled from Riyadh and the Eastern Province to Jeddah on the Red Sea coastline.  

GSP was instrumental in coordinating basketball training opportunities for Ruth and Becky with local sports entities in the Kingdom.  The girls and women who participated in the events were greatly encouraged and excited to have this unique opportunity to learn from women excelling at the highest levels of sport in America.  

GSP was pleased to see the positive impact of this collaboration on all sides.  Great appreciation goes to Ruth and Becky for taking the time and energy to share their skills and experiences with many women and girls in Saudi Arabia.  It was a worthwhile venture that merits the exploration of further events of this caliber.