Think Forward.

Track and Field, the most representative sport on the African continent

Aziz Daouda, 6 mon.
4 min read.
4 months ago I published this article in French. Today, as I'm getting ready to leave for Accra for the All African Games, I thought it would be a good idea to republish it, this time in English. It's a reminder of the dynamism of African athletics and its place on the continent and the world stage. I am here using an old wording: instead of Athletics i used Track and Field as title...A kind of nostalgia of the old days. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX One of Africa's most dynamic sporting bodies is the Confederation of African Athletics. This dynamism is obviously the result of the fact that it manages the continent's most representative sport, but it also comes from its component parts, which are of course the national federations, of which the CAA is simply an offshoot. Its role is to encourage, channel and coordinate efforts to develop athletics on the continent. Athletics is the sport that has won, is winning and will continue to win the most titles and glories for the continent for a long time to come. To this end, the CAA, under the leadership of its President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, has made great efforts to develop the sport. It has succeeded in setting up an initial ten-year strategic plan, the objectives of which have almost all been achieved: in particular, revitalizing the most precarious national federations and developing youth sport by introducing regional and continental competitions for U18s. This plan was aimed at popularization and more quantitative aspects: number of countries and athletes taking part in African competitions, number of African countries and athletes taking part in world competitions. The 2nd plan, launched in 2019, also covers a ten-year period and aims to consolidate and strengthen the gains made by moving a little closer to the quality of the activity as a whole, by reducing the disparities between members and regions. Aware of the importance of scientific aspects for the development of athletics, the CAA has based a large part of its strategy on collaboration with universities in each of its member countries: for the training of executives and for research and development in governance and management. If Africa accounts for more than 35% of world athletics, it is because it also has close relations with the world body, which is done in perfect harmony. There are, of course, points of disagreement that the two parties are trying to overcome to ensure perfect complementarity. World Athletics has delegated a number of prerogatives to the CAA, including development. This policy of decentralization is working rather well, to the satisfaction of both parties. The CAA's other major partner is ANOCA (Association of National Olympic and Sports Committees), with which we are in the process of establishing a close working relationship. ANOCA is the IOC's arm on the continent. This body, which has a major impact on sporting activity on the continent, particularly since it took over responsibility for the All-Africa Games, has entrusted the task of developing sport in Africa to M Hamad Kalkaba Malboum, President of the CAA. The athletics development model thus inspires all sports in Africa. A great deal of cooperation has also been undertaken with the African Union, which is linked to the CAA by a very important agreement with multiple objectives. Of course, the AAC will not succeed without collaboration with its members, their respective governments and the respective NOCs. Funding remains the major challenge. It is difficult to put forward figures as it is impossible to compile all the money spent or invested in athletics. We have the involvement of local authorities, governments and the NOCs, as well as what is certainly a very significant contribution from individuals and civil society through associations and clubs. If today athletics is practiced in all 54 African countries and all of them take part in continental competitions, it is because this is accompanied by substantial budgets. But more is still needed. Paradoxically, there are some countries, without naming them, that invest more than 10 million dollars a year in the running of their athletics federation and hundreds of millions in infrastructure. Others don't spend more than 20 or 30 thousand USD. This is understandable, given the GDP of some countries and the lack of interest shown by some governments in athletics, even though it is the most basic of sports. Funding is made difficult in many countries by the weakness of the economic fabric, characterized by monopolies, low levels of consumption and the stranglehold of certain multinationals, which make no effort to promote local development and are far from supporting the development of young people through sport. CAA has placed youth development at the heart of its strategy. It has made this its exclusive mission. It believes that the development of athletics on the continent must be centered on the athlete. Based on this philosophy, management training is a key lever. Young people need to be supervised by competent managers. As a result, it now has eight centers whose mission is to train managers as well as athletes. These are known as AADC: African Athletics Development Centers. And it's working so well that new centers are being planned. A center has just been launched in Abidjan in 2023 and another is about to be launched in Praia, Cape Verde, for Portuguese-speaking countries. This is how CAA, its partners and member federations are responding to the pressing need for development, by bringing its actions closer to the beneficiaries. The CAA has also signed agreements with federations in "wealthy" African countries to ensure that their infrastructures and know-how benefit the "less wealthy". In particular, it has signed an agreement with the Royal Moroccan Federation and with those of Ethiopia and South Africa. The CAA has also set up training units in more than one country. These are groups of talented youngsters who train under the guidance of qualified coaches appointed by the CAA. All financed by the CAA. The aim is to improve standards in the continent's least developed events and to help countries that are having difficulty setting up a good athlete training system. The CAA believes that African athletes should have the opportunity to compete on the continent, and has thus ensured the continuity of a competition system that Covid has unfortunately disrupted. In addition to the African championships in three age categories in cross-country and athletics, the CAA organizes an African Tour of one-day meetings in three categories Gold, Silver and Bronze, in addition to the Diamond League in Rabat, the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi and the Botswana Golden in Gaborone.
caaweb.org

Abdou Cherif left, carried by his voice towards the heavens.

Aziz Daouda, 6 mon.
2 min read.
I was driving back from Fez, when the radio channel which kept me company announced the sudden, dramatic, incomprehensible, unexpected, rapid, devastating and sad disappearance of Abdou Cherif. I adored, I adore and will adore until the end of my days this virtuoso whom I never had the chance to meet but whom television and YouTube subsequently made me discover and love. I, who adore Abdelhalim Hafed or Hafez and the beautiful Egyptian songs, find in him a certain continuity of the "belle époque"; that of the sublime musical drop; the one where lyricists like composers, conductors and performers surpassed themselves to offer the Arab public and not only the best of music. Inspired sometimes by deeply rooted popular arts, sometimes by musical tunes from elsewhere, even going so far as to explore Argentina Tango, they have bequeathed us a unique musical heritage whose richness we do not yet fully appreciate. Listening to Abdou Cherif performing Gabar or habibaha, we are caught in a whirlwind of magic by his captivating voice, strong, soft, expressive. The sound is crystal and the diction clear. Abdou sublimates this kind of song to make you forget the original… And then big surprise, one evening, at the Olympia in Cairo, he doubtfully gently announced that he was going to venture into singing "La Boheme". Charles Aznavour would have loved this moment so much. It was a triumph. And it's not over, Abdou will try the impossible and no one is bound to do the impossible, one evening in Casablanca he will amaze, surprise, by revisiting one of the standards of Moroccan Malhoum: Ghita. Who would have thought that one day this inveterate faithful of Abdelhalim would knock on the door of Lhaj Driss Benali Al malki and make him stand up in his two centuries old tomb. I am convinced that where he is, Driss Benali is smiling with satisfaction. No one has ever interpreted Ghita like Abdou Cherif, not even the great master Driss Toulali. This is the man who leaves us today forever, leaving us his voice, his smile, his elegance, his sensitivity and his audacity to stand up in large concert halls and take his fans on a journey beyond time. . When I arrived home, I stood in a corner, took my phone and started listening to endless extracts of his interpretations, spending more time on some where he had been at the height of his art, such as Rahila, composed by another of Moroccan music: Abdesalam Amer and performed by another beautiful voice that of the crooner Mohamed ElHayani. He also left early. A way of the deceased Abdou Cherif from a distance and to pray for the peace of his soul. I hesitated before offering you any of his interpretations: all of them are as perfect and beautiful as each other. Finally I said to myself why not Bohemia. You have a link down here. We belong to God and to him we return. Rest in peace Abdou.
youtu.be/hvM66SxNfJY?si=EAZNznev...

Applied Machine Learning Africa!

Tariq Daouda, 6 mon.
1 min read.
I have been to more scientific conferences than I can count. From to smallest to the biggest like NeuRIPS (even back when it was still called NIPS). Of all these events AMLD Africa is my favorite, by far. I first met the team two years ago when they organized the first in-person edition of the conference at the University Mohammed VI Polytechnic. I was immediately charmed by the warmth and professionalism, ambition and fearlessness of the team. So much that I joined the organization. AMLD Africa is unique on every aspect. By its focus on Africa, by its scope and ambition, by its incredibly dynamic, young, passionate, honest and resourceful team, all volunteers. It is hard to believe that this year in Nairobi was only the second in-person edition. AMLD Africa does the impossible without even realizing it. It has an old school vibe of collegiality, community and most importantly **__fun__** that is so lacking in most conferences today. All without compromising on the quality of the science. It offers one of the best windows into everything AI and Machine learning happening in Africa. Africa is a continent on the rise. But a very hard continent to navigate because of information bottlenecks. Traveling across Africa is not easy (it took me 28H from Nairobi to Casablanca), there are language barierers separating the continent into different linguistic regions (French, English, Portuguese being the main ones). And just the fact that all too often we do not look to Africa for solutions. AMLD Africa is solving all that, by bringing everybody together for a few days in one of the best environments I got to experience. Thank you AMLD Africa.
appliedmldays.org/events/amld-af...

GenZ: The Fiscally Aware Generation

Tariq, 6 mon.
I am sitting at Paul's cafe at the airport en route to Nairobi via Cairo for Applied Machine Learning Days (AMLD) Africa (a wonderful conference, more on that later). **In front of me 4 young males, early 20s, they speak loudly in french as they eat the burgers and fries they bought at another restaurant.** They talk about money. "You have no idea how much money I lose to taxes", says one of them. "40 to 50%! It's a lot of money, I would make so much more without it". He sees taxes not as a net necessary good, as most have been trained to see it, but as any other cost. Interesting, that's not the type of conversations you would expect from someone that young. It's not the first time I hear this type of conversation from GenZs. Why are GenZs becoming more fiscally aware than previous generations? I think it comes down to two factors: - Inflation - The entrepreneurial culture Inflation has hit everybody, for obvious reasons. However one constant with inflation is that it hits the poorest hardest. Young people tend to have less money. But that's not enough to raise awareness about a subject that most consider beyond boring. This brings us to the next point: *The entrepreneurial culture*. As a millennial I witnessed it's burgeoning and blossoming. It started timidly with a few books and blogs, then massive blogs, then best sellers, then YouTube videos and finally podcasts. Not so long ago being an entrepreneur was considered an unwise life choice. Successful people go to work for established companies. Such was common wisdom. However, as the 2008 recession hit and people started to look for more revenue streams, they also discovered the concept that having one's business can also mean more freedom and better financial security. There is however a big difference between the Millennial Entrepreneur and the GenZ Entrepreneur. The Millennial was still uneasy with the idea of making money and as such would speak about *"making a positive impact in the world"*, the GenZ is not burden in this way. You can see the shift in YouTube ads, today it's all bout how much you will make if you buy this or that business course. So whatever online business they start, being it drop shipping or whatever, they tend do it in a money aware way. Starting an online business is a hard, the competition is fierce. Naturally, they try to invest their hard earned money wisely. When the tax bill comes, they see it as it is: an unexpected cost that does not necessarily translate to a better life quality. Nothing is free in this incarnation. Some are not even shy about relocating to fiscally advantageous locations like Dubai and making videos about it. This could be the end of the blissful fiscally unaware generations.

Understanding the Complex Adoption Behavior of Augmented Reality in Education Based on Complexity Theory: a Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA)

Dr. EL Mostafa Bourhim, 6 mon.
Augmented reality (AR) is one of the recent technological innovations that will shape the future of the education sector. However, it remains unknown how AR potential may impact the behavioral intention (BI) of using AR in education. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the technology acceptance model (TAM), this article empirically considers how such features impact user behavior. Utilizing survey data of 100 students, we perform fuzzy set qualitative comparative analyses (fsQCA) to derive patterns of factors that influence BI to use AR in education. The outcomes of the fsQCA demonstrate that high BI to use AR in education is achievable in many different ways.The current paper argues that students' BI to use AR in education is triggered by a combination of different aspects present in these supports. In order to address the factors that enable AR usage intentions in education, the paper presents a conceptual model, relying primarily on the UTAUT and TAM theories. This study investigated how these two theories shape intentions to use AR in education. The findings of the fsQCA analyses demonstrate the existence of multiple solutions to influence users' BI to adopt AR in education. The outcomes underline the significance of targeting certain combinations of factors to enhance student engagement. The most major limitation was the issue of causal ambiguity. Even though we employed the fsQCA as an adequate methodological tool for analyzing causal complexity, we could not justify causality. Furthermore, other methods can be used in future studies to obtain more detailed results.
xrm.ma/research-publication/

whey protein

Mounabenmhamed9, 6 mon.
1 min read.
Part 1 Whey protein has been widely used in untrained subjects [1] or in power trained athletes to increase muscle mass and to improve strength and physical performance [2-4]. However, there are relatively few studies examining the effects of whey protein supplementation on body composition and performance in well-trained endurance athletes [5, 6] and the results are sometimes conflicting. For example, Huang et al. [5] reported increased distance run in 12-min running test associated with an increase in whole body muscle mass, with no difference in performance in the placebo group; they also found decreases in “liver” enzymes, LDH, and creatine kinase (muscle damage markers) after 5-weeks of 33.5 g/day whey protein supplementation in endurance track runners. However, Roberson et al. [6] found increased lean mass, a tendency of mitochondrial capacity to be improved, but without significant improvement in physical performance after the ingestion of 25 g whey protein (post-exercise and pre-sleep) during 10 weeks in endurance runners. The inconsistent results of the effects of whey protein supplementation on endurance exercise performance and the associated post-exercise recovery parameters are in part related to some methodological differences such as the duration of supplementation, the amount, type, and timing of protein intake, and the training status of the subject. According to Phillips & van Loon [7], endurance athletes need more protein than the current recommendation of 0.8 g/kg/day for normal subjects, in order to achieve training adaptations and improve performance [7, 8]. The position statement of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) stated that protein supplementation may help to offset muscle damage during and following exercise and promote muscle recovery in athletes [9]. The rationale for the increased protein intake for endurance athletes is that their training volume is typically greater than for powerful athletes, i.e. about 6 days per week so as to attain adequate training distance per week. Further, endurance athletes often use a mixed training approach incorporating eccentric exercises, plyometrics and obstacle courses; these training regimens often induce muscle catabolism as well as resulting in muscle damage [10, 11]. Muscle protein catabolism during exercise is not desirable as the amino acids lost in this process are required to support post-exercise and training adaptations. Also, excessive muscle damage with associated inflammation and requirement for muscle repair slows muscle recovery and impairs subsequent performance [12].

The 19th edition of Athletics World Indoors in Glasgow presentation...

Aziz Daouda, 6 mon.
4 min read.
A few days before the World Indoor Athletics Championships, EME News, a specialized agency, presented the competition with the main protagonists athletes, event by event. Obviously the favorites are the athletes who dominated the winter season but obviously there will be surprise grabs like every edition. Having been present at numerous editions of these championships, myself, believe me it is well worth the detour. The championships are scheduled for March 1 and 2, 2024...two days of intense competition. Here is the full text as published by EME News. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The 19th edition of World Indoors will be for first time in Glasgow, but for third in the UK. Despite beeing it an Olympic Year several stars of the sport will participate (Lyles, Duplantis, Holloway, Bol, Warholm). It is the equaled earliest date in the history of the event, also 2018 Birmingham edition was held on March 1-4. In total 651 athletes (331 women and 320 men) are entered slightly less than in Belgrade 2022 (680, 372 men and 308 women). Now it is 133 countries, two years ago it was 137. Record numbers are 705 athletes at World Indoors 1997 in Paris (but without technical events direct finals) and 171 countries at World Indoors 2012 in Istanbul. In total 13 reigning individual world champions and seven individual gold medallists from the Tokyo Olympics are among the entries. From Belgrade 2022 title defenders only missing are two men Marcell Jacobs (60 m), Damian Warner (heptathlon), but also 6 women Mujinga Kambundji (60 m), Shaunae Miller-Uibo (400 m), Ajee Wilson (800 m), Ivana Vuleta (long jump), Yulimar Rojas (triple jump) and Auriol Dongmo (shot put). Gudaf Tsegay who won the 1500 m two years ago runs the 3000 m this time. Not invited as in Belgrade Russian and Belarus athletes, all technical events are held as finals. Evenings sessions on Saturday and Sunday are practically sold out. New Mondo track was installed, legendary David Rudisha is the ambassador. There’s good prize money, too, for places 1-6: $40 000-20 000-10 000-8000-6000-4000, plus a $50,000 bonus for a world record. Event by event short previews Men 60 m: Will Coleman´s fast start be enough to beat Lyles? Blake and Omanyala for bronze. 400 m: Two questionmarks, what is the shape of Warholm and Richards, both coming without any racing experience this winter. Then it is very open. 800 m: This year fastest Tecuceanu and Crestan. Hoppel has its experience, Masalela was winning on the circuit and Garcia is the defender. 1500 m: Nader is unbeaten this eason, Kessler comes with fast time, Nordas is World medalist. And Ethiopians. 3000 m: This is the highlight. Nuguse vs Kerr is the talk, but Barega and Wale have better times. 60mH: Holloway against the clock, 60 indoor wins in a row. Big fight for other medals (Cunningham, Joseph, French, Simonelli, Szymanski). HJ: Woo ruled during the season, Kerr comes from Down Under. PV: Mondo in his own World, can he produce again a global mark at championships? Obiena vs Nilsen and Kendricks for the remainder of the podium. LJ: Tentoglou by all books. Furlani ready for surprise. TJ: Zango should manage, then wide open. SP: Crouser question is how far. Fabbri, Walsh, Campbell for silver and bronze. Romani only one competition. Hep: Ehammer gave this priority over long jump, Skotheim the other contender, Mullings did not compete since end of January. 4x400 m: US always strong, but remember what happened in Belgrade. Belgium, Netherlands and Czech with current quality there. Women 60 m: Alfred vs Swoboda, top fight for gold. Hobbs and Dosso for bronze. 400 m: In case Femke and Lieke from the same coaching group will not be 1-2, we would say it was a surprise. 800 m: Alemu has the best time, but Reekie the spectators support. Or space for surprise name on top? 1500 m: This could be unique situation will full Ethiopian podium. 3000 m: Tsegay in her own class, Muir with crowd for silver, but Hull, St. Pierre, Meshesha not light opposition. 60mH: Charlton vs European force (Visser, Skrzyszowska). HJ: Mahuchikh vs Olyslagers, how high they can go? PV: Caudery, McCartney, Murto, Newman against US duo Moon and Morris. LJ: Davis looks like a clear choice, after her several contenders for two medals. TJ: 2 Cubans vs 2 US, and in between LaFond with Peleteiro. SP: Jackson vs Mitton for gold, is Schilder still in shape? Pen: Vicente should be the name, defender Vidts competed only individually this winter. 4x400 m: Netherlands followed by US followed by Jamaica or Poland or Britain. Czech dark horse. FLASH-BACK PORTLAND (USA): In the flash-back for Portland 2016 USA was the best country with 13-6-4 gold, silver and bronze medals ahead of Ethiopia 2-2-1, in total 29 countries got medals. In points also USA 249 ahead of Ethiopia 56 and Great Britain 39, here 53 countries got points. In total 10 world leads, 2 meet records and 7 area indoor records were registered, but no World Indoor record. From title defenders who competed only four defended (7 were not succesful). Paul Doyle was the agent with most individual gold medals from his athletes and total number of spectators was 39 283 for all sessions. BIRMINGHAM (GBR): In the Birmingham flash back to mention 32 countries won medals. Also 48 countries were in points rankings. There was 1 World indoor record in the men´s 4x400 m, 6 Area indoor records, 6 meet records and 14 World leads. Seven athletes sucesfully defended their titles from Portland. Six agents represented athletes with two individual gold medals. BELGRADE (SRB): Three World Indoor records highlighted the Serbian edition of the championships after 4 years break due to COVID (Duplantis, Rojas, Holloway). 612 athletes took part from 129 different countries. Average age of participants: 25 years. Average age of medallists and winners was 26 years. more than 20,000 spectators attended across the three days, despite a reduced stadium capacity due to Covid restrictions with Sunday 2nd session 6800 the highest. 72 national records. In medals Ethiopia was better than USA and Belgium, in total 31 countries won medals. In total 56 countries achieved top 8 position. Best agent was Juan Pineda with 3 individual gold medals. Light tower was used for the first time in technical events to show the validity of attempts. In competition performance rankings Belgrade is the best ever World Indoors with 49 348 (since 2000) ahead of Budapest 2004 with 48 839 and third Birmingham 2018 with 48 861. +++++++++++++++++++++ EME NEWS is prepared daily with help from Steven Mills, James Rhodes and Robert Blaho with results from Carles Baronet.