ISCA AWARDS 2025 JURY MEMBERS

Dr. Christos Anagnostopoulos Hamad Bin Khalifa University, UNESCO Chair holder and Ass. Professor in Sport Management Qatar

Dr. Christos Anagnostopoulos is the founder and chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Governance and Social Responsibility in Sport at Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar. He teaches in the MSc in Sport and Entertainment Management programme, a joint initiative with the University of South Carolina. With over 120 scientific publications, he serves on editorial boards of eight international journals and is the associate editor for Managing Sport and Leisure. His research focuses on sport governance, social responsibility, and entrepreneurship, securing nearly $3 million in funding since 2018. Dr. Anagnostopoulos collaborates with various organisations, including the Generation Amazing Foundation and the European Union delegation to Qatar, and serves as Treasurer of the World Association for Sport Management.​

Khalida Popal Founder & Director of Girl Power Organisation Denmark

Khalida Popal is an award-winning Afghan footballer, sport activist, and the Founder of Girl Power Organisation. As former captain and co-founder of the Afghanistan Women’s National Team, she is a global voice for women’s rights in football.

Drawing on her experience as a refugee, Khalida advocates for sport as a tool for empowerment and healing. She has launched physical activity programmes in refugee centres and created inclusive spaces for women to rebuild confidence and community.

In 2014, she founded Girl Power to offer leadership training and sports education for women and girls from marginalised communities. After the Taliban’s return to power, she led efforts to evacuate Afghan female players and continues to fight for their inclusion on the global stage.

Her memoir, My Beautiful Sisters, tells the story of her journey and the resilience of Afghan women in sport.

Ross Edgeworth Right To Play. VP, Partnerships UK

Ross has 20 years of international development experience, working for NGOs in Latin America, South Asia, Africa and the UK. During this time, his roles have included project management, research and new business development with government donors and grant making bodies. Ross has a sport science degree, a master’s degree in international development and a PhD in public health. His work at Right To Play focusses on supporting the development of programs and partnerships with a range institutional, philanthropic and research organizations to leverage the power of sport and play to protect, educate and empower children and young people.

Raffaella Chiodo Karpinsky UISP, Project coordinator Italy

Raffaella Chiodo Karpinsky is a seasoned human rights activist and expert in grassroots sport diplomacy. Active in international solidarity movements since the 1970s, she has worked extensively in international cooperation with Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. As a member of the National Anti-Apartheid Coordination, she contributed to the "Free Nelson Mandela" campaign and was honoured by the South African Embassy in Italy in 2018 for her efforts. Raffaella has served as an international observer in peace negotiations and electoral processes in countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Angola, Russia, and Ukraine. She has also advised the Mayor of Rome and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on international cooperation and development.

Since 2009, she has collaborated with UISP on development cooperation projects in Africa and the Middle East, as well as on programmes aimed at tackling racism and discrimination through sport and promoting the inclusion of refugees. She served as a board member of the FARE network from 2015 to 2023. She has also coordinated the National Observatory on Discrimination in Sport, promoted by UISP in collaboration with UNAR (the National Office Against Racial Discrimination at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers).

Stephen Reynards UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, Project Coordination Officer (Sport) Switzerland

Stephen Reynard is an experienced sport for development and peace (SDP) professional and is the Sport Project Coordinator at UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, in Geneva. Stephen has worked at the intersection between sport, development and peacebuilding with numerous entities including, NGOs, universities, development and UN agencies. He is the (co)author and editor of several manuals, articles, chapters and essays on topics related to SDP which focus on the contribution of sport to peacebuilding objectives and promoting socially cohesive communities. In his current role, Stephen supports UNHCR with the rollout of its Sport Strategy, More than a Game, by developing partnerships with sport organisations and providing technical support to UNHCR operations globally. Stephen enjoys running, hiking and playing for the local football club.