Bahrain Olympic Academy has finalised the list of speakers for the first International Physical Literacy Conference. The conference will be held from December 1st to 3rd at Shaikh Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Hall at the University of Bahrain in Sakhir. The event is organised in collaboration with the University of Bahrain and the Canadian Organisation for Physical Literacy, under the esteemed patronage of His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports, President of the General Sports Authority, and President of the Olympic Committee.

The conference will feature a distinguished group of academic and sports science experts, including:

Dr Nabeel Taha is the president of the Bahrain Olympic Academy. He holds a PhD in Positive Psychology from the University of Ottawa (2014), a Master's degree in Sport and Fitness Psychology from California State University (1987), and a higher diploma in training from institutions in America and Germany. He is an internationally recognised handball lecturer and a certified lecturer for numerous regional, continental, and international sports organisations.

Dr Nalda Wainwright, Director of the Wales Institute for Physical Literacy. She is an accredited lecturer in the School of Sport Health and the Director of the Master's program in Physical Education. Her academic interests centre on the role of physical education in promoting health and well-being.

Drew Mitchell is the Senior Director of Physical Literacy at Sport for Life Society. With over 40 years of experience as an athlete, coach, administrator, volunteer, manager, and developer, he has dedicated his career to fostering the development of physical literacy at the community level.

Richard Way, CEO of the Sport for Life Society and a founding member of the International Physical Literacy Association. He holds an MBA and is a lecturer at the University of Virginia.

Thomas Jones, President of the Sport for Life Society. He has served as CEO of the Commonwealth Games, competed as an Olympic volleyball player, and was a member of the Canadian Volleyball Federation.

Dr Anaam Al-Najjar, Associate Professor of Sports Training. She holds a PhD in Sports Rehabilitation from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Baghdad and holds a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom (2021). She has been a permanent member of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance (ICHPER-SD) since 2008.

Dr Dalal Salama, Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education at the College of Health and Sports Sciences, University of Bahrain. She earned her PhD in Sports Management in 2020 and a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy in the United Kingdom in the same year. She has been a permanent member of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance (ICHPER-SD) since 2014.

Dr Shiraz Muhammad Balfaqih is a lecturer in the Department of Physical Education at the College of Health and Sports Sciences, University of Bahrain. She is also the Chair of the Sociology of Sport Committee at the International Sociological Association of French-Speaking Sociologists. Dr Balfaqih holds a Master's degree in Social Organisation of Sport from the University of Paris, a Master's degree in Management from the University of Sousse (Tunisia), and a Bachelor's degree in Sports Management from the ‏High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Ksar-Saïd (Tunisia).

Jassim Mohammed Al-Kuwari, the Head of the Physical Education Department at the Ministry of Education. He holds a Master's in Management (2016) and a Bachelor's in Physical Education (2003). He has served as the Secretary of the Bahrain Gymnastics Association since 2017.

Ahmed Yusuf has been a physical Education teacher at the Ministry of Education since 2014. Prior to that, he was the Head of the Physical Education Department for Children at the British School in Bahrain from 2009 to 2014. He is a certified physical culture instructor.