Sharjah Women’s Sports has selected “Integrating Movement into Education” as the theme of the second edition of the International Sports Science Conference “Excel”, reflecting a research-based understanding of children’s daily lifestyle patterns during early developmental stages and the growing challenges they face. These include declining levels of physical activity, rising indicators of sedentary behaviour, and the direct impact this can have on concentration, academic achievement, and overall quality of life.
The theme was chosen as a practical response to field data and specialized assessments carried out over recent years through various programmes and competitions. These findings revealed physical indicators that require further development in early age groups, particularly in relation to key fitness components linked to healthy and balanced growth. This has positioned movement integration as both an educational and health priority.
In its second edition, Excel Conference sheds light on this direction as a strategic approach that reshapes the relationship between education, health, and quality of life. It is grounded in a vision that recognizes the value of early investment in people and the importance of strengthening integration between educational, health, and community dimensions.
Movement is no longer viewed as an additional element or an activity separate from the academic pathway. Instead, it has become part of a broader contemporary lifestyle framework that sees the body and mind as one connected system. Integrating movement into classrooms and schools can help enhance attention, motivation, and behaviour, while creating a more interactive learning environment that responds to students’ psychological and social needs.
The 2026 edition of the conference focuses on Cycle 1, recognizing it as a crucial stage in shaping learning patterns, behaviour, and children’s first relationship with school, knowledge, and healthy lifestyle habits. The conference adopts a holistic approach that positions the school as a starting point for integrating educational and health objectives, supported by technology and institutional partnerships to ensure sustainable impact and wider applicability.
The impact of integrating movement into education extends to quality of life as a whole. It supports physical and mental health, strengthens positive values, belonging, and identity, and contributes to reducing sedentary behaviours linked to low levels of physical activity within an integrated educational and health framework.
Excel Conference reflects this direction by presenting scientific and practical models that connect research with implementation. It opens the door for schools and relevant entities to adopt applicable solutions built on partnership between the education, health, and community sectors, while benefiting from modern educational and sports technologies in assessment, monitoring, and performance development.
The conference will take place on 7 February 2026 at Al Razi Hall, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, as part of the accompanying events of the 8th Arab Women Sports Tournament. It reaffirms the growing role of scientific knowledge in supporting educational and health policies and in building more balanced school environments that place students’ health and quality of learning at the forefront of priorities.
