Africa
Rugby Africa’s North African Regional Development Officer, Mostafa Jelti, Speaks About International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
At the request of the Moroccan NOC, this day was created in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly
Globally, sport has reached a stage of development that no other human activity can boast of. Its impact on societies and unifying power gives it the responsibility of putting itself at the service of peace
To start off, what does international day of sports for development and peace mean to you?
At the request of the Moroccan NOC, this day was created in 2013 by the United Nations General Assembly. It reflects the importance of sports, which is present in every household with its economic, political, social and above all educational functions.
What is Rugby Ready training? Please feel free to use any images and statistics as well.
The Rugby Ready program is a support and educational training tool, with its objective being to promote enjoyable and fun playing rugby while minimizing the risk of injury.
Player health is the priority at all levels of the game.
Rugby Ready is also a perfect complement to the programs set up by some World Rugby member unions, with Rugby Africa having very satisfactory numbers of participants – second World Rugby region.
You deliver conferences on the theme of Sports and Peace. Please elaborate on the connection between sport and peace? Can you share examples where sport or more particularly rugby has been used to foster peace?
Globally, sport has reached a stage of development that no other human activity can boast of. Its impact on societies gives it an incomparable mobilization potential. This unifying power gives it the responsibility of putting itself at the service of peace.
For concrete examples, I will cite the following cases:
Fist Ping-pong diplomacy initiated in 1971 between China and the USA
The attribution of the 1988 Olympic Games to China (global symbolism)
The joint organization of the football world cup in Japan and South Korea (despite the historical disputes and the poisoned relations)
The (unsuccessful) joint candidacy of Turkey and Greece for the organization of the European Football Championship (UEFA 2008)
In rugby:
The organization of the 3rd Rugby World Cup in South Africa which has contributed to bringing together the entire population of the country.
The participation of the Libyan National Rugby Team in the Arab 7’S Championship (February 2021) where the team was made up of the 2 “war” regions East and West.
You put a lot of emphasis on the values of rugby. May you please list them and explain why they matter and how they define rugby?
The values of rugby are solidarity, integrity, respect, passion and discipline. These are ethical and moral benchmarks to which athletes and public opinion must refer; they guide people in their daily lives with a taste for effort and perseverance. It is also a philosophy that transcends all borders in sport, at school, at home and at work. If I had to classify these values, I would put RESPECT first.
The conferences are targeting teachers, unions administrators, students. Does your approach and message differ depending on the targeted groups?
As a former teacher – the content of the message remains the same, the form differs a little. The ‘speaker’ approach is used with students, players, and administrators. Whilst the ‘moderator’ approach is used with teachers and coaches.
What do you expect your audience to take out of these conferences? If there is one key learning point to remember, what would it be?
I am trying to convey the following message to my audience:
Every day, around the world, millions of sports competitions (“conflicts”) are organized and supervised at school, university, sports federations, regional confederations, international federations, Olympic committees, etc.
These “conflicts” are instituted by the rule and its respect; they serve, in filigree, to:
Bringing competitors closer together rather than dividing them
Promote team spirit
Solidarity in difficulty
Establish equal opportunities
Push towards excellence
Celebrate merit
Convert the rugby player into a good citizen of his country or even of the world.
Please share any other initiatives you have in the pipeline to commemorate such occasions.
I consider schools and universities to be a breeding ground for the development of rugby and I keep close contact with the universities.
Also, I am trying to set up a continental cooperation with the African University Sports Federation (FASU) which will be relayed at the national level by the various federations affiliated to Rugby Africa. In this sense, I host several conferences, each year, on the occasion of the International Day of Sport.
Gaming Corps signs a deal with leading African gaming platform, KingMakers.
Gaming Corps, a publicly listed game studio based in Sweden, has put pen to paper on a content distribution deal with KingMakers, a leading sports betting and gaming platform in Africa. This new strategic partnership will help cement Gaming Corps as one of Africa’s most dynamic game studios while enhancing the game offering across KingMakers’ platforms.
The deal will see Gaming Corps’ diverse online slot and casino game portfolio integrated into KingMakers’ platform. This includes popular titles like Gates of Hellfire, Wet and Wild Beavers, and Snoops’ High Rollers, each of which showcases Gaming Corps’ commitment to innovative gameplay, creative bonus features and big winning potential.
KingMakers’ customers will also enjoy Gaming Corps’ selection of industry-leading crash and instant-win games and hits from the Smash4Cash™ selection, including its flagship title, Piggy Smash.
The move will see Gaming Corps significantly enhance its position in the African market, with KingMakers marketing itself as ‘Where Africa comes to play’. KingMakers’s leading brand, BetKing, is one of Africa’s most in-demand online gaming sites, ensuring Gaming Corps reaches more players on the continent than ever.
Danielle Calafato, CCO at Gaming Corps, said: “A key part of our global expansion strategy is to work alongside the biggest and best names on each continent. KingMakers is a major player in the African market with a strong reputation among players, and this partnership provides us with major exposure there.
Our games have always been well-received by African audiences, and with KingMakers, we can continue to cement our status as a must-have game studio in the region.”
Kaan Bulakeri – Head of Gaming at KingMakers noted: “In our clear vision to be the home where Africa comes to play, we as KingMakers believe in strong business partnerships to bring the most innovative entertainment content to our customers.
Our business strategy is to create this customer value together with global partners as well as locally focused game providers to enhance our rich and diverse offering combined with best user experience.
Gaming Corps is one of the game studios that resonate with our vision and strategy, therefore with their innovative approach we eagerly continue to provide our customers with tailored and localized first-in-class entertainment.”
The post Gaming Corps Expands African Presence with KingMakers Partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Africa
INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER
Leading B2B games provider, Incentive Games, today announced its new agreement with premium gaming company and content provider Light & Wonder, Inc.
Through this agreement, Incentive Games will distribute its premium pay-to-play games – including new arcade-style titles – to key global regulated markets including the USA, Canada, South Africa, UK, and within Europe via Light & Wonder’s extensive operator network. Additionally, Incentive Games’ popular free-to-play content will be made available to a wider audience through Light & Wonder’s content marketplace.
The agreement brings together two industry leaders in iGaming and the strengths of both companies to deliver exceptional player experiences and elevate customer engagement.
Ahmed Baker, Chief Commercial Officer at Incentive Games said, “This agreement is a landmark moment in our company’s history. Previously, we’ve worked directly with major operators such as bet365, FanDuel, and Sky Bet. Now, we can distribute our games via Light & Wonder, an exceptional aggregator that we trust will handle our games with care.”
Steve Mayes, Senior Director of Partners at Light & Wonder, said: “We are excited to work with Incentive Games, a leader in gamification solutions. We look forward to leveraging their innovative platform and bringing their customisable crash and fast game content to all major regulated markets.”
The post INCENTIVE GAMES SIGNS EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION DEAL FOR NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, SOUTH AFRICA AND UK WITH LIGHT & WONDER appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today announced a new operator partnership in South Africa with Hollywoodbets.
The legendary games studio went live in South Africa in 2024, and this newly announced partnership will see classic Play’n GO titles such as Fire Joker, Rise of Olympus 100 and Boat Bonanza now available to Hollywoodbets players in South Africa.
Play’n GO enjoyed a landmark year in 2024, expanding its reach globally, and recently announced the launch of two brand new slots mechanics, Blitzways™ and Crashback™.
Stuart Trigwell, Director of Business Development at Play’n GO, commented “South Africa is a market of increasing significance in iGaming globally, and we’re very pleased to have gained such a strong foothold in the country with this partnership.
“The Hollywoodbets brand is synonymous with iGaming in South Africa, and this partnership reflects the commitment of both Play’n GO and Hollywoodbets to deliver the best casino gaming experience possible to players in the region. We’re excited for the opportunities that will come from this partnership, and we look forward to many years of success together.”
Wayde Dorkin, Head of Product at Hollywoodbets added “We’re looking forward to welcoming Play’n GO’s legendary games portfolio to our platform, and we know our players are just as excited as we are. We’re committed to being the number one operator in South Africa, and partnering with Play’n GO is a significant step forward on that journey.”
The post Play’n GO announces landmark South African partnership with Hollywoodbets appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
Press Releases4 weeks agoGraffiti Rush marks PG Soft’s debut in graffiti-themed slots
-
Latin America3 weeks ago
Paysecure expands reach across LATAM, showcasing solutions at SIGMA Americas
-
Baltics2 weeks ago
Playson powers ahead in Europe with Fenikss partnership
-
Africa3 weeks ago
Springbok Casino is Offering 25 Free Spins in Honour of South Africa’s Top 5 Wild Egg Hunters
-
Amusnet3 weeks ago
Amusnet to Participate in the Third Edition of SiGMA Americas
-
Balkans4 weeks ago
7777 gaming partners with LiveScore to elevate its new operations in Bulgaria
-
Central Europe3 weeks ago
Digitain Partners with Gamingtec to Expand Presence in Europe
-
Arnold Sports Festival South America 20254 weeks ago
SCCG Sponsors Arnold Sports Festival South America 2025
