Lefkosia
June 2023
After three days of Globeducate Global Olympic Games in Portugal, the three PASCAL Private English School Lefkosia pupils Roksolana Honak, Sormeh Naghshbandy and Panayiotis Tsiakkouras returned home on Friday the 8th of June together with their accompanying teacher, Assistant Head Teacher Ms. Nectaria Hadjisergis.
They spent a total of four days in the Algarve hosted by local families and participated in a variety of games as part of an Olympic-style tournament through which they connected with other pupils from around the world through sports and through an event which effectively instills the Olympic values of collaboration, fair-play, and ethos!
Over the course of three days, they played up to three different games per day including Basketball, Football, Ultimate Frisbee, Catch the Flag, Beach Volleyball and Track and Field, competing against other pupils of their age from Globeducate schools in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, and the UK – ‘I learned new sports like frisbee, it was fun…the stadium day was nice because it felt like the real Olympics.’ (Roksolana)
Having been placed within teams comprising pupils from different schools, they were able to bridge cultural differences and form connections through sport. – ‘The best thing for me was the people I met and the friends I made’. (Panayiotis)
During the closing ceremony they were able to meet Anyika Onuora, an Olympic athlete, who served as the ultimate model of inspiration for all the participants as she reminded them of the power and importance of passion and perseverance in anything they do.
Finally, staying with local families enabled the pupils to get a true taste of Portugal- ‘Ms. Dora was very welcoming; the food was very nice!’ (Sormeh)
Thus, the exposure to cultural landmarks, tastes and habits when combined with the friendships formed and the athletic, communicative, and collaborative skills gained through the games, formed an unmatched life experience for the pupils which has inevitably enabled them to gain confidence and grow.
For more information about the Globeducate event, please click here.
Lefkosia
