Africa
Rugby Africa’s North African Regional Development Officer, Mostafa Jelti, Speaks About International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
At the request of the Moroccan NOC, this day was created in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly
Globally, sport has reached a stage of development that no other human activity can boast of. Its impact on societies and unifying power gives it the responsibility of putting itself at the service of peace
To start off, what does international day of sports for development and peace mean to you?
At the request of the Moroccan NOC, this day was created in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly. It reflects the importance of sports, which is present in every household with its economic, political, social and above all educational functions.
What is Rugby Ready training? Please feel free to use any images and statistics as well.
The Rugby Ready program is a support and educational training tool, with its objective being to promote enjoyable and fun playing rugby while minimizing the risk of injury.
Player health is the priority at all levels of the game.
Rugby Ready is also a perfect complement to the programs set up by some World Rugby member unions, with Rugby Africa having very satisfactory numbers of participants – second World Rugby region.
You deliver conferences on the theme of Sports and Peace. Please elaborate on the connection between sport and peace? Can you share examples where sport or more particularly rugby has been used to foster peace?
Globally, sport has reached a stage of development that no other human activity can boast of. Its impact on societies gives it an incomparable mobilization potential. This unifying power gives it the responsibility of putting itself at the service of peace.
For concrete examples, I will cite the following cases:
Fist Ping-pong diplomacy initiated in 1971 between China and the USA
The attribution of the 1988 Olympic Games to China (global symbolism)
The joint organization of the football world cup in Japan and South Korea (despite the historical disputes and the poisoned relations)
The (unsuccessful) joint candidacy of Turkey and Greece for the organization of the European Football Championship (UEFA 2008)
In rugby:
The organization of the 3rd Rugby World Cup in South Africa which has contributed to bringing together the entire population of the country.
The participation of the Libyan National Rugby Team in the Arab 7’S Championship (February 2021) where the team was made up of the 2 “war” regions East and West.
You put a lot of emphasis on the values of rugby. May you please list them and explain why they matter and how they define rugby?
The values of rugby are solidarity, integrity, respect, passion and discipline. These are ethical and moral benchmarks to which athletes and public opinion must refer; they guide people in their daily lives with a taste for effort and perseverance. It is also a philosophy that transcends all borders in sport, at school, at home and at work. If I had to classify these values, I would put RESPECT first.
The conferences are targeting teachers, unions administrators, students. Does your approach and message differ depending on the targeted groups?
As a former teacher – the content of the message remains the same, the form differs a little. The ‘speaker’ approach is used with students, players, and administrators. Whilst the ‘moderator’ approach is used with teachers and coaches.
What do you expect your audience to take out of these conferences? If there is one key learning point to remember, what would it be?
I am trying to convey the following message to my audience:
Every day, around the world, millions of sports competitions (“conflicts”) are organized and supervised at school, university, sports federations, regional confederations, international federations, Olympic committees, etc.
These “conflicts” are instituted by the rule and its respect; they serve, in filigree, to:
Bringing competitors closer together rather than dividing them
Promote team spirit
Solidarity in difficulty
Establish equal opportunities
Push towards excellence
Celebrate merit
Convert the rugby player into a good citizen of his country or even of the world.
Please share any other initiatives you have in the pipeline to commemorate such occasions.
I consider schools and universities to be a breeding ground for the development of rugby and I keep close contact with the universities.
Also, I am trying to set up a continental cooperation with the African University Sports Federation (FASU) which will be relayed at the national level by the various federations affiliated to Rugby Africa. In this sense, I host several conferences, each year, on the occasion of the International Day of Sport.
Africa
Kiron Interactive strengthens Ethiopian performance with Hulu Sport deal
Kiron Interactive, a leading provider of virtual sports and numbers games, has announced the expansion of its partnership with Hulu Sport, a tier-one operator in Ethiopia, with the launch of its innovative Mobile Lite Football Leagues product.
The new offering, known as the Hulu League, is an extension of Kiron’s existing partnership with Hulu Sport, which already includes the integration of Kiron’s products in the operator’s retail and online channels via its omnichannel Betman platform.
Mobile Lite Football Leagues is a tailored version of Kiron’s popular virtual football product, designed specifically for mobile devices in markets with limited bandwidth. The game offers an immersive and engaging virtual football experience, complete with a wide range of betting markets while requiring a fraction of the regular data consumption.
The Hulu League launch will significantly boost Hulu Sport’s mobile offering, providing its players with a unique, entertaining and data-light virtual football betting experience that Kiron Interactive is renowned for in the industry.
Steven Spartinos, Kiron Co-CEO, said: “We are honoured to extend our partnership with Hulu Sport, one of Ethiopia’s leading operators. The launch of the Hulu League demonstrates our commitment to delivering innovative and tailored products that meet the specific needs of our partners and their players.
“We look forward to working closely with the Hulu Sport team to ensure the success of this new bespoke offering and to exploring further opportunities to enhance their product portfolio with our cutting-edge virtual sports content.”
Kibrom Gebremeskel, Deputy General Manager at Hulegeb Online Solution, said: “We are excited to expand our partnership with Kiron Interactive and bring the engaging Hulu League virtual football product to more players in Ethiopia. This innovative offering perfectly complements our existing sports betting portfolio and provides our customers with a unique and immersive gaming experience.
“Kiron’s Mobile Lite Football Leagues product has been tailored to meet the specific needs of our market, and we are confident that it will be a major hit with our players. We look forward to working closely with the Kiron team to maximise the potential of this new content and to further strengthen our position as a leading operator in the Ethiopian market.”
Africa
Hub88 partners with LiveGames to enhance content offering
Hub88 has partnered with live casino supplier LiveGames, further strengthening its product offering by adding a unique range of content to its platform.
LiveGames provides fully customisable online live dealer games and branded tables including the first vertical roulette table in the sector, along with crash games and the widely played Tombola.
The supplier delivers experiences with a player-focused design, easy to use mobile interface, and high-resolution broadcasts.
The partnership will support LiveGames’ goal to further expand in international markets, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America where Hub88 has a strong presence.
The deal showcases Hub88’s commitment to grow its ecosystem of partners, offering a diverse portfolio of products and content.
Ollie Castleman, Head of Hub88, said: “We’re thrilled to unveil this strategic partnership with LiveGames which sees us add a great provider to our platform, one that utilises modern technology to offer bespoke and personalised gaming experiences to players.
“We are looking forward to collaborating and strengthening our content library with their diverse games.”
The LiveGames Team said: “Our journey started in a small studio and as a team, we are excited about now expanding to every corner of the world together with Hub88 and their extensive operator network.
“We are committed to promoting innovation in the industry and this partnership will support us on that mission.”
Africa
NE Group powers 888bets launch in Angola
NE Group, a leading B2B iGaming software supplier, has teamed up with online gambling operator 888 to launch 888bets for the Angolan market.
888Africa was originally set up to operate 888 brands in online betting and gaming markets across hand-picked regulated countries within Africa. Angolan sports bettors will now have seamless access to online sports betting through 888bets.co.ao
NE Group specialises in offering innovative, lightweight front-end solutions for best-in-class iGaming experiences. An extensive localised knowledge is the inspiration behind a platform that is renowned for flexibility and adaptation for unique African preferences. Together with 888, the platform delivers smooth gameplay across diverse data speed environments – essential for broad accessibility in Africa.
For the first time in the country, Angolan bettors will have the opportunity to experience the acclaimed Aviator crash-game on the platform. Additionally, the new site incorporates built-in features and tools for Responsible Gaming teams to monitor and support safe gaming practices
NE Group CEO Imran Bukhari said: “It’s brilliant to see the 888bets sportsbook launch in Angola to bring sports betting fans an experience they deserve. Our specialised sports betting platform and lightweight frontend solution for Africa allows 888bets to quickly scale.”
888bets added: “As a country with huge potential, we expect big things from our launch in Angola. Working with NE Group has enabled us to deliver an experience that sports bettors will love and that is enriched with engaging products.”
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