Filomena Fortes co-opted to the FISpT Board

The International Sport for All Federation (FISpT) is pleased to announce that Ms Filomena Maria Spencer Africano Fortes has been co-opted as a member of its Board. In addition, Ms Fortes has been proposed as an individual member of FISpT, with her admission to be formally confirmed at the next General Assembly in accordance with the Federation’s statutes.

Ms Fortes brings to FISpT a rich professional background that spans high-performance sport, sport-for-all, and education. Born in Luanda, Angola, on 10 April 1966, she pursued a Degree in Physical Culture at the Higher Institute Manuel Fajardo in Cuba, followed by postgraduate studies in Youth Education in Coimbra, Portugal, and a Master in Sport Sciences at the University of Porto. She further strengthened her expertise with the Executive Master in Sport Organisations Management (MEMOS) and a PhD in Education Sciences at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Lisbon.

Professionally, Ms Fortes has long combined academic and practical responsibilities in sport, working as a secondary school physical education teacher, professor of higher education, and coordinator of physical education and sport courses at the University of Cape Verde and then at the Public University of Cape Verde. Her sporting background is rooted in handball and football, where she played at club level and later served as a handball coach, giving her first-hand experience of athlete development and grassroots sport.

On the governance side, Ms Fortes has played a pivotal role in the Olympic Movement in Africa and beyond. She has served as President of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee since 2014, becoming the first woman to lead the National Olympic Committee of Cape Verde, and previously presided over the Cape Verdean Handball Federation from 2014 to 2017. She is also a founding member of the Cape Verdean Paralympic Committee and has acted as Paralympic Attaché for the Cape Verdean delegation at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, as well as Head of Delegation for Cape Verde at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

At continental and international level, Ms Fortes has held key positions including Vice-President of Zone II of ANOCA (Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa), President of the Association of Olympic Committees of Portuguese Official Language (ACOLOP), and Vice-President of the ANOCA Women and Sport Commission. She has also been a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Foundation Board, underlining her commitment to integrity in sport.

Ms Fortes is an IOC Member contributing to its global mission. Within the IOC, she has served on several commissions, including the Sport and Active Society Commission, the Olympic Education Commission, and the Coordination Commission for the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad Los Angeles 2028, as well as the Future Host Commission for the Games of the Olympiad and the Sustainability and Legacy Commission.

Crucially for FISpT, Ms Fortes is a member of the IOC’s Olympism365 commission, the strategy that seeks to strengthen the role of sport as an enabler of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and to bring the values of Olympism to communities “365 days a year”. Olympism365 focuses on expanding access to inclusive community sport programmes, building the capacity of organisations that deliver sport-for-all, and fostering cross-sector partnerships to maximise sport’s social impact. Ms Fortes’ direct involvement in this work positions FISpT at the heart of current IOC thinking on sport for sustainable development.

Drawing on her experience across Olympic, Paralympic, and continental structures, Ms Fortes will help FISpT strengthen partnerships with National Olympic Committees, international federations, and civil society organisations, reinforcing the Federation’s role as a reference body in sport for all. Her recognised leadership has been acknowledged through distinctions such as the African Olympic Order Medal and other honours for her contribution to the Olympic Movement in Africa, which further underline the credibility and influence she brings to the FISpT Board. Her expertise and commitment will be instrumental in guiding FISpT’s strategic development, monitoring impact, and ensuring that the Federation’s programmes are fully in line with the IOC’s vision of sport as a driver of positive social change.