The Inaugural Spring Sport Science Summit (SSSS) 2024, themed “Innovations in Performance Enhancement and Injury Prevention – Cutting-edge Sport Science”, was hosted by the Faculty of Health Sciences at the North-West University (South Africa) from 16 to 19 September 2024. The goal of the Summit was to support young scholars and graduate students in conducting applied research in Sports and Coaching Sciences, providing them with a platform to showcase their work.

The Summit aimed to achieve the following outcomes:

• Academic enrichment by providing exposure to cutting-edge research;
• Networking opportunities with professionals, researchers, and peers; and
• Potential for collaborative projects and partnerships to be explored and developed.

The following researchers from the UNESCO Chair team presented their research with the following title:

• Ronelle Malan-Swart, Andreas Amutenya, Cilas Wilders, and Vasti Oelofse: "Physical Education (PE) and school sports in Namibia: Status, challenges, and recommendations";
• Danielle Dolley, Rosa du Randt, Cheryl Walter, and Debbie Zeller: "Effect of SACE-accredited Physical Education (PE) Short Learning Programmes (SLPs)"; and
• Siphesihle Nqweniso, Danielle Dolley, Cheryl Walter, Rosa du Randt, Larissa Adams, Patricia Arnaiz, Nandi Joubert, Uwe Pühse, Harald Seelig, Peter Steinmann, Jürg Utzinger, Markus Gerber, and Ivan Müller: "KaziBantu - Healthy Schools for Healthy Communities: KaziKidz and KaziPlay school interventions".

A valuable exchange in the field of Sports and Coaching Sciences was realized and the participation of members of the UNESCO Chair Team was therefore a success. Further information on participating in the Summit can be obtained from Dr. Siphesihle Nqweniso (Felicitas.Nqweniso@cluttermandela.ac.za) or Dr. Danielle Dolley (danielle.dolley@cluttermandela.ac.za).