FIFA and the Local Organising Committee of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2025™ have united with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Special Olympics to deliver a series of fun-filled beach soccer clinics on the same sands the world’s best are currently competing on for the crown of world champions – all with the aim of encouraging an active lifestyle and promoting inclusion across sport. The clinic brought together 20 players aged between 16 and 48 to participate in specialised beach soccer training sessions – all designed to get participants active, hone their skills, provide an insight into what it takes to play on the sand, and spread messages of positivity and inclusivity.

The clinics emphasised that young people need to Be Active for 60 minutes every day for health and long-term wellbeing. The Be Active campaign was launched at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and has since been delivered at every FIFA tournament, reaching billions watching on TV and in stadiums.

In addition to the Be Active Clinic, spectators at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup have been informed about the importance of being active for 60 minutes every day through various channels, including posters, the Be Active dance cam, pitch-side messages on LEDs, and even TiKay the tortoise who has encouraged spectators to Be Active.

The clinic – which was delivered at the Paradise Arena as the tournament paused between the end of the group stage and start of the quarter-finals – focused on four separate coaching session stations; passing and ball control, shooting, goalkeeping and movement – before concluding with a small-sided friendly game.

Among the dignitaries in attendance was Marie-Céline Zialor, Minister of Sports of Seychelles, who said: “We are so grateful that we have this opportunity to be able to raise more awareness. We started on the obesity campaign two years ago with the help of the WHO and led by the President himself because we saw the figures, we saw the statistics, and cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in this country.

“Using a FIFA event such as the World Cup gives us a great opportunity to be able to continue to do the message, and to get people to be active.

“Cardiovascular diseases, these kinds of non-communicable diseases that the WHO categorises, can be prevented by being active and living a healthier lifestyle. So, we put emphasis on prevention and not on cure. This is the opportunity that it brings. It helps us to spread this message.”

Also present – and participating – were Dr. Rex Gadama Mpazanje, WHO Representative in Seychelles, Jaime Yarza González, FIFA Tournaments Director, Charles Nyambe, President and Managing Director, Special Olympics Africa and FIFA Legend Dejan Stanković. Following the clinic, everybody joined together to take part in the iconic Be Active dance activation.

FIFA and the WHO are long-term partners, working together to deliver the Be Active campaign at FIFA events around the world. Be Active is a global initiative aimed at promoting physical activity and healthier lifestyles through the universal appeal of football – which encourages children and adolescents to engage in at least 60 minutes of daily exercise – an amount that the WHO says 80% of children worldwide are not currently getting.

Commenting on the importance of using football to raise awareness about the importance of regular exercise, Dr. Mpazanje said: “The tournament we are having in Seychelles, which is the first in Africa, is not only a tournament for elite athletes to compete, but it’s for the whole nation to use as an opportunity to Be Active, and build on what we have been doing and what the government has been leading on.

“It’s a legacy that will continue to be amplified to make sure that this becomes a movement. We know that Seychelles is also going to be hosting some sports for the Indian Ocean, so this year’s quite a vibrant year in terms of what has been ignited by this football beach soccer campaign.”

The involvement of the Special Olympics – a global movement that gives opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities to be part of the sports world and its achievements – builds from the success of their participation in the previous FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which was held in UAE in 2024.

Commenting on the importance of the ongoing relationship between FIFA, beach soccer and the Special Olympics, Mr Nyambe said: “When people begin to see how these athletes play on the field – and by the way, this event is unified, meaning those with and without intellectual disabilities play together as friends. These friendships come from the field, and they extend to going to movies together, they respect each other because they see a human being.

“That’s what it’s all about because many times we see the disability. The disability is eliminated when they start playing. It’s as simple as that. Sport for development, sport for education, sport for awareness.

“FIFA is not just about bringing elite populations together to play football. FIFA is about creating inclusive communities, creating communities that are going to bring families and communities together. And the World Health Organisation – health is critical.”