Physical literacy develops healthier, more confident, and more competent people and stronger societies. Yet some of the biggest questions facing the field remain unsettled.
Who still does not have access to quality programming, and who has access to programs but is not continuing to develop? Physical literacy is a gateway to health, so why is it not central to health policy? Good ideas exist everywhere, but why are they not spreading faster? What does quality actually look like, and what does it take to deliver it?
These four questions shape the program of the International Physical Literacy Conference (IPLC) 2026, taking place October 1–3 at the Centre de Congrès Pierre Baudis in Toulouse, France.
Hosted by Sport for Life in partnership with the Toulouse Université Club and the University of Toulouse, IPLC 2026 will bring together more than 300 researchers, educators, coaches, practitioners, and policy-makers from over 30 countries. More than 70 speakers will contribute to three days of presentations, workshops, discussions, and networking in English and French under the theme Stronger Together through Movement.
Four Streams, Four Questions
Physical Literacy for Everyone focuses on equitable access, inclusion, adapted programming, and the development of physical literacy throughout life.
Who still does not have access to quality programming, and who has access to programs but is not continuing to develop?
Sessions will examine barriers to participation and approaches that address diverse needs, abilities, experiences, and stages of development.
Health and Prevention addresses inactivity and supports well-being through physical literacy.
Physical literacy is a gateway to health, so why is it not central to health policy?
The stream brings together perspectives from health, physical activity, policy, and practice to examine how physical literacy can support participation, prevention, and well-being.
Research and Innovation focuses on evidence, evaluation, emerging practices, and the transfer of knowledge into real-world settings.
Good ideas exist everywhere, but why are they not spreading faster?
Sessions will showcase research, evaluation, practical applications, and emerging approaches from different countries and sectors, creating opportunities to share what is working and what others can learn from it.
Quality Environments focuses on creating safe, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate experiences.
What does quality actually look like, and what does it take to deliver it?
Sport for Life’s Quality Sport approach is grounded in Good People, Good Places, Good Programs. Sessions will examine program design, leadership, inclusion, safety, and the conditions that foster positive participants’ experiences.
The program includes presentations, panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, an active session, a poster session, and Speed Networking presented by SIRC.
Featured Speakers
Fiona Chambers, PhD
Fiona Chambers, PhD, professor of Education, Sport and Innovation at University College Cork, Ireland, has more than 30 years of international practice and academic experience across education, sport, research, and innovation. She is a past president of the International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education (AIESEP) and a senior advisor to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Observatory in Gender Equality and Sport. She also co-founded #PE4PISA and founded FIELDPLAY: A Think and Do Tank. Her closing keynote, Futuring Physical Literacy for Everyone (and everything), combines a keynote with a Live Futures Lab to explore the physical literacy futures the field might create.
Sarah Benes, PhD
Sarah Benes, PhD, associate professor and coordinator of School Health Education at Southern Connecticut State University, brings health education directly into the physical literacy conversation. Dr. Benes served as president of the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America) and has worked with schools and districts at the state, national, and international levels. Her IPLC keynote, AWEsome Possibilities: An Ecosystems Approach to Physical Literacy, Health Multiliteracies & Collective Well-Being, starts from the premise that physical literacy and health multiliteracies are inseparable and explores what integrating the two can mean for health and well-being.
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra
Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF), has experienced French sport from almost every angle: as an elite tennis player, a federation executive, a government minister, and now the leader of the French Olympic movement. After serving as director general of the French Tennis Federation, she was appointed France’s minister of sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2022. She remained in government through the preparation and delivery of Paris 2024 before being elected president of the CNOSF in June 2025. She brings experience at the highest levels of sport leadership, governance, and public policy.
Mohamed Amine Zariat
Mohamed Amine Zariat, founder of TIBU Africa and a former Moroccan national basketball player, has spent more than 15 years using physical activity and sport as a vehicle for education, inclusion, and social development. What began in Morocco in 2010 as a basketball program for young people in underserved neighbourhoods has grown into an organization that has reached more than 250,000 people, including girls in rural areas, youth with disabilities, migrants, and refugees. In 2024, Zariat was recognized as one of the Schwab Foundation’s Social Entrepreneurs of the Year, reflecting the scale of his work using sport to create social impact.
Toulouse, France
Known as La Ville Rose, Toulouse offers a walkable historic centre, distinctive terracotta architecture, Occitan cuisine, and direct flight connections across Europe and beyond.
The Centre de Congrès Pierre Baudis is located in central Toulouse, with public transit connecting the venue, hotels, and city centre.
Delegates can receive a 10% discount on the fare component of eligible Air France and KLM flights using Event ID GME60771AF for travel between September 24 and October 10. Recommended hotels and conference accommodation options are also available near the venue.
Registration
Regular registration is €420. Late registration opens September 19 at €470, subject to space.
To browse the full program, register, and find travel and accommodation details, visit physicalliteracy.ca/iplc.
Questions about registration, programming, or logistics? Contact shelley@sportforlife.ca.
Follow the conversation with #IPLC2026.
IPLC 2026 is hosted by Sport for Life in partnership with the Toulouse Université Club and the University of Toulouse.