ISM celebrates AFEC accreditation from World Academy of Sport

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our AFEC launch event held today to celebrate ISM’s recent accreditation by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) as an Athlete-Friendly Education Centre (AFEC).

This event, attended by ISM’s high-performing student-athletes and their parents, outlined the enhanced opportunities available to student-athletes due to this prestigious accreditation.

The AFEC accreditation is an internationally recognised programme that allows student-athletes at AFEC-accredited schools additional flexibility and support to complete their high school curriculum. Additional flexibility for ISM students includes adapted timetables according to sporting schedules, the availability of distance learning, as well as academic, safeguarding, counselling and wellbeing support. As an official partner with IB World Schools, among other networks, AFEC status also gives recognised student-athletes the opportunity to complete the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) or International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme (IBCP) over a 3-year period instead of 2 years. For those students interested in the international sports industry, WAoS and Federation University are also offering students at AFEC schools the opportunity for Career-related study in International Sports Management (CRS, ISM) by taking three courses for university credits (Introduction to International Sport Management, Sport Performance Management, and Managing Sport Development) over a 2-year period within the framework of the IB Career-related Programme. Further support provided to students at AFEC schools includes webinars, the possibility to obtain a WAoS Athlete Certificate, and Q&A panels with Olympians, and empowerment coaching with Olympians.

Following a presentation about the benefits of the AFEC status and its implementation at ISM, we were honoured to be joined, both virtually and in person, by the Olympians Joslyn Hoyte-Smith, Kristaps Zvejnieks, and Philippe Waeffler, who each gave encouraging words of wisdom to our students about their own experiences of balancing academic demands with a demanding sporting career. We were also delighted to share an interview with Oliver Goethe, our first ISM student to take advantage of the 3-year IB programme, regarding his impressions as a student-athlete at ISM and the flexibility and other advantages of the programme. To mark the end of the event, two of our student-athletes, who had both participated in the accreditation visit, received the official AFEC accreditation trophy from Olympian Philippe Waeffler on behalf of all of our student-athletes.

ISM is proud to join the AFEC network, which includes 31 AFEC-accredited schools in 15 countries worldwide (and counting!). Many thanks to the World Academy of Sport for its tremendous support and these opportunities, and well done to all of our student-athletes and their parents for their many accomplishments so far. We look forward to seeing them flourish further within the supportive AFEC environment at ISM!