Background

Save the Dream and the International Society of Sport Psychology (ISSP) have partnered forthe 14th ISSP World Congress for Sport Psychology, Seville 10-14 July 2017. Under this agreement Save the Dream will organise a dedicated SYMPOSIUM in the frame of the World ISSP Congress www.issp2017.com on Thursday, 13 July 2017 at 14.30 – 16.00.

Objective

To inspire an audience of sport psychology academic and practitioners through the testimonial of outstanding athletes about how Sport Psychology can better promote and protect the core values of sport.

Symposium Scope and Purpose

The symposium will offer a chance to meet theory and practice. It will offer the opportunity to the audience of sport psychology academics and practitioners to have an open debate with athletes who have been in contact with sport psychology through their sporting career or who are themselves (or in their way to become) sport psychologists.

The speakers, on the basis of their successful experience as athletes but also of their knowledge of the world of sport, will explore the following topics bearing in mind how sport psychology could do more to help:

  • Obstacles to make young people sport dreams come true (e.g.: politics, disability, economic hindrances, mainstream education, etc.)
  • How to exploit the potential of young athletes
  • How to face sport threats

Speakers

The director of the Symposium is Ms. Josefa IDEMBorn 23.9.1964 in Germany. Kayak Sports since 1976 and racing for Italy since 1990. Olympic bronze medal at Los Angeles 1984 and at Atlanta 1996. Olympic silver medal in Athens 2004 and in Beijing 2008. Olympic gold in Sydney 2000. Eight Olympic participations from 1984 to 2012. Fifth place in London 2012 at the age of 48 years. 5 World titles, 10 European titles and two World Cups won. Josefa is graduated in Psychology. She is Involved in local sports politics from 2001-2007 and member of the Italian Senate, one of the two Italian chambers, since 2013.

The following athletes will complete the panel moderated by Pedro Velázquez, Director Social Innovation & Empowerment, Save the Dream:

Honey Thaljieh is currently Corporate Communications Manager at FIFA where she designs and implements pro-social football programs around the world. Honey is the co-founder of women’s football in Palestine, the first captain of the Palestinian national team, and the first Arab woman to obtain a FIFA Master and work at FIFA. Thaljieh defied all social restrictions and political barriers, and became a role model to women and girls throughout the Arab world. Today, Honey continues her efforts as ambassador and member of influential international organizations around the world to empower women and children through sports, and to promote equality and non-violence through football.

Alhambra Nievas is a telecommunications engineer, rugby player and referee. She is the first Spanish woman to have refereed a Rugby World Cup and the first woman to be chosen as the best rugby referee in the world in 2016 at the World Rugby Awards. When she was a kid Alhambra she used to play soccer, tennis, basketball, volleyball and karate. While studying Telecommunications and playing rugby, he began a parallel career in 2006 as a referee that in just one decade has led him to be number one. As rugby player she played 11 seasons at the national level and 3 of them was selected to play with the Spanish national team. In 2013 she had to choose between continuing to compete or opting to become a referee. She is the only Spanish rugby referee with full dedication to this task.

Arturo Casado is a middle distance Olympic runner from Spain. From 2000 to 2013 he represented Spain in the most important international competitions in 1500 meters. He was 4 times Spanish Champion, 4th, 5th and 7th in the World Championships, bronze medal in the European Championships and European Champion in 2010 in Barcelona. At the same time he was a professional athlete, he successfully finished his PhD studies in 2016 about Sport Psychology and the Theory of Deliberate Practice of the best long distance runners in the world. He always fights for a cleaner sport and against doping, proclaiming publicly this and other values of sport.

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