With the slogan “Bridging the Gaps,” the International Symposium of Adapted Physical Activity 2013, held in Istanbul, Turkey, was a successful event. Before the symposium, the IFAPA board met to discuss issues related to the progress of the organization and the activities developed in each region. The main issues raised in the African report were building the African APA network by e-mail, posting of issues related to APA in Africa, involvement of African APA leaders in IFAPA and their attendance at ISAPA, and support for African APA leaders and work toward the creation of an African APA organization. These activities have started and are continuing to progress. The involvement of APA leaders is really important for moving the region forward in relation to APA. Representatives from the African nations of Angola, Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa made five presentations at the symposium.
We very much appreciated that the organizing committee provided three of the five scholarships available to economically challenged countries to citizens from Africa. In the IFAPA general assembly, each board member presented issues related to his or her role in the organization. After that, each region elected its representative to IFAPA. Unfortunately, most African participants at the event had not renewed their membership and others had not been able to attend the symposium. As a result, the previous African regional representative will continue to lead the region. I would like to congratulate all APA African leaders for the work that you have been doing to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities on our continent. We hope to increase African participation at ISAPA 2015 in Israel.