Dear ISCPES Members and Friends,
The Executive Board recognizes the importance of communication with members and those who have a special interest in the activities of the International Society for Comparative Physical Education and Sport (ISCPES). The purpose of the Quarterly News is to keep you informed of the Society’s activities. It includes information on the scholarly works in comparative physical education and sport throughout the world, upcoming events, and general information. Quarterly News will be delivered via electronic means around every 15th of January, April, July and October. If you have suggestions, comments or feedback, please write and let us know. Remember, as ISCPES members this is your Society. It is our hope that the contents of each Quarterly News will inform, inspire, and remind you of the passion for learning and knowing that is the foundation of the ISCPES.

1. Executive Board for ISCPES
The 2008 has been a remarkable year for the Society. The General Assembly on 26 July 2008 welcomed a new Executive Board for the period 2008-2012. The composition is as follows: Walter King Yan Ho (President); Rosa Lopez de D’Amico (Vice President); Anthony Church (Secretary); Scott Martyn (Treasurer); Richard Baka (Membership); Martin Holzweg (Research Coordinator); Lateef Amusa (Member at large); and Darwin Semotiuk (Immediate Past President).

2. New Constitution
ISCPES has completed an extensive review of its’ constitution and the changes address the following issues: country and area studies; cross-cultural comparison studies; education for internationalism; international exchange programs; and development aid.

3. ICSSPE Representation
ISCPES endorsed Walter Ho as Vice President at the recent ICSSPE election in Guangzhou, China. We are happy to report that on 31 July 2008 the General Assembly of ICSSPE confirmed his position as Vice President in Education for the period from January 2009 to December 2012.

Rosa D’Amico and Klaus Krieger will continue to serve as the ISCPES representatives at the ICSP. A new member will be nominated in early January 2008 to replace Walter Ho.

Rosa D’Amico and Abel Toriola are now members of the Editorial Board, Lateef Amusa represents ISCPES at the Executive Board of ICSSPE, and Rosa D’Amico will continue serving on the Association Board.

4. Academic Events and Activities
The 16th Biennial Conference of ISCPES 2008
The 16th Biennial Conference of ISCPES 2008 was successfully held at the University of Macau, Macau from 23 to 26 July 2008. The conference theme was ‘Global Merging: A New Era for Sport and Physical Education.’

The Executive Board and members are very excited about the continued cooperation and dialogue established between the participants during the conference. Based on the resoundingly positive response during the closing banquet, the conference has been characterised as a success. Furthermore, the Executive Board of ISCPES is pleased to have staged the conference in Macau and extends congratulatory note to all involved. For those interested, this was the third time that the biennial conference has been organized in the East.

The Conference Organizing Committee focused special attention on fostering student participation and young scholars through a generous scholarship program. Scholarship were awarded by: ISCPES; ICSSPE; BNU; and the Hou Kong Sport Club. The Society would like to extend its appreciation to those who supported the event. The support from Tianjin University of Sport, Fundacao Macau, Macau Instituto do Desporto, Direccao dos Servicos de educacao e Juventude, Macau Government Tourist Office and Fundacao Henry Fok were key partners in the successful staging of the event.

There were a total of 200 scholarly papers accepted for presentation, about 350 delegates from 35 countries and regions participated, and 8 keynote speakers were invited. Other Scientific activities included a number of Open Forum sessions and a special Round Table Meeting. 

The Scientific Committee of ISCPES 2008 has already identified members for the composition of a Review Board in regard to the publication of conference proceedings. Following peer review of the submitted papers, the selected works will be published in three volumes (one in Chinese and two in English). For those who presented at the conference and hope to have your paper published in the conference proceedings, please submit the full text of your paper for review on or before 30 September 2008 to the conference office at iscpes08@umac.mo. Papers will be accepted in either English or Chinese. Due to publication deadlines, late submission will not be accepted.

ISCPES CD Series:
A second CD Edition of the Regional ISCPES Conference papers and presentations at Varadero – Cuba 2007 was produced and sent to all ISCPES members (Edited by Richard Baka/ Rosa D’Amico/ Darwin Semotiuk). The CD contained papers and presentation in both English and Spanish.

Future ISCPES Conference
There are two conference sites currently under consideration to host the 17th Biennial Conference of ISCPES in 2010. Pending receipt of the required supporting documentation, the eventual host will be either Kenya (Africa) or Havana (Cuba). The Executive Board will make the decision in October 2008 and the announcement will be made through the Quarterly News.
The ISCPES Regional Congress in 2009 was awarded to Vancouver (University of British Columbia / Vancouver College). The successful bid was presented by Dr. Anthony (Tony) Church from the Faculty of Management, Laurentian University.

Research Projects and Developmental Projects
A research project on the Teaching of Physical Education – A Global Perspective was endorsed by the Society. The project involves the collection of teacher and student feedback on the perception of PE classes. The project also included the video recording of PE lessons. Preliminary data is currently available to the research group for preliminary analysis.
A number of research and developmental projects are now in the planning stages. These include the further development of the current research project on the Teaching of PE and enhanced assistance to those seeking to initiate and strengthen research and teaching programs in comparative physical education and sport throughout the world. Members will be informed when these projects are finalized and ready for distribution.
The Society will continue to encourage the development of cross-cultural or interdisciplinary research so as to achieve its goal of enriching the field of comparative physical education and sport. The Society liberally defines comparative study as investigation into and comparison of two or more units (countries, cultures, ideologies, regions, states, systems, institutions, populations).

5. ISCPES Promotion and Other Business
With the election of a new Executive Board in Macau, a new brochure for ISCPES is being produced to reflect those and other changes. The new version of the promotional brochure will soon be available in English, Spanish, German, Chinese and French on the organization’s web site at WWW.ISCPES.ORG.
The establishment of ISCPES Country Representatives was approved in Macau.
The Society has adopted a graduated annual membership fee system (individual and institutional) based on the economic status of the nation in which a member resides and works. ISCPES recognizes the economic disparities that exist throughout the world and is working to provide the necessary financial and moral support to make it possible for individuals and institutions to become members of the organization and access the benefits of membership.
The ISCPES web site has been updated and on-line payment is now available
The Society has updated the on-line archive content of International Sports Studies and its predecessor, the Journal of Comparative Physical Education and Sport, at LA84
A new ISCPES membership card, updated colour brochure, journal distribution announcement, and two CDs containing the Proceedings from Melbourne (2006) and Varadero (2007) were recently distributed to all ISCPES members. As previous mentioned, Volume 26, Number 1 and Volume 26, Number 2 of International Sports Studies were sent to the members.
The Society sent, at no cost to its members, Herbert Haag and Gerald Haag’s Dictionary of sport, physical education, and sport science along with the latest ISCPES CD Proceedings to its members in late 2007

Quarterly News #1 – 2008
Prepared by Dr. Walter Ho (President ISCPES)