Twenty-six students began the 16th edition of the NMU/FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sport Management on 4th September 2023 at the Nelson Mandela University (NMU) campus in Port Elizabeth (South Africa).
We are delighted to note that, for the first time, female students will outnumber their male classmates which is further proof that things are changing for the better in African sport with increased gender diversity.
The number of foreign students taking part in the course is also at an all-time high. 15 come from Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Speaking at the opening of the course, Denver Hendricks, CIES Coordinator in South Africa, said, "In sixteen years, the FIFA/CIES International Programme has become a benchmark in a large part of the continent. Our students come from many sports and our alumni apply their new knowledge in national, continental and international sports organisations. It's a great source of pride and satisfaction”.
During the first intensive weeks of the course, the new students were able to familiarise themselves with sports management and marketing, as well as attend a lecture by Mohamed El Shawarby, a former student of the FIFA/CIES International Programme in Egypt and now international consultant on the complex issue of sports infrastructures on the African continent.