Filomena Maria Spencer Africano Fortes (born 10 April 1966) is a

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

an sports administrator and former handball player. Originally a handball player for

C.D. Primeiro de Agosto Clube Desportivo 1º de Agosto is a multisports club from Luanda, Angola. The club, founded 1 August 1977, is attached to the Angolan armed forces, which is its sponsor. Its main team competes in men's football, and its professional Primeiro de ...

and

Clube Ferroviário de Luanda ''Clube Ferroviário de Luanda'' is an Angolan multisports club based in Luanda. The club owns its name to its major sponsor, the Luanda Railway Company. In 1953 the team has won the Campeonato Estadual da I Divisão (''Angola's top division be ...

, she worked in sports education including as the

University of Cape Verde The University of Cape Verde (, abbreviated "Uni-CV") is the only public university of Cape Verde. The main campus is in Palmarejo, Cape Verde, Palmarejo, Praia, but there are also institutes in Mindelo, Assomada and São Jorge dos Órgãos. It ha ...

's coordinator of the physical education and sports courses. She later became president of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee and the Handball Federation of Cape Verde, as well as the first

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

permanent member from Cape Verde.

Biography

Filomena Maria Spencer Africano Fortes was born on 10 April 1966 in Luanda, Angola. In 1979, she started playing handball after a brief stint in association football, including for

and

; she later recalled that this decision was "perhaps because in Luanda it was the most popular sport for women". She also worked as a handball coach from 1984 to 1995. After abandoning her medicine studies in Luanda, Fontes was educated at the Manuel Fajardo University of Sciences of Physical Culture and Sport, in Cuba, and the

University of Porto The University of Porto (''Universidade do Porto'') is a Portuguese public research university located in Porto, and founded on 22 March 1911. It is the second largest Portuguese university by number of enrolled students, after the University ...

(where she got her master degree in sport sciences), before she obtained her PhD in education sciences at

NOVA University Lisbon NOVA University Lisbon (, ), or just NOVA, is a Portuguese public university whose rectorate is located in Campolide, Lisbon. Founded in 1973, it is the newest of the public universities in the Portuguese capital city, earning its name as the "N ...

. Fortes worked as a secondary school physical education teacher, before working as the

's coordinator of the physical education and sports courses (1996-2014). In 2014, she became president of the Cape Verdean Olympic Committee (COC) - and the first woman to hold the position - and the Handball Federation of Cape Verde, remaining in the latter position until 2017. On July 2018, she was awarded the African Olympic Order Medal by the

Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

. In 2019, she became the first Cape Verdean to become an

permanent member. From 2019 to 2020, she was a member of the coordination committee of the

2028 Summer Olympics The 2028 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIV Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 2028 or LA 28, is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place July 14–30, 2028, in the United States. Los Angeles ...

. In November 2021, she was elected vice-president of the Association francophone de comités nationaux olympiques. In 2021, she was re-elected COC president for her third straight term. After serving as vice-president, she became president of

ACOLOP ACOLOP (acronym for ; ) is an Olympic-related non-profit organization officially established on 8 June 2004, in Lisbon and has been approved by International Olympic Committee. It was founded by the national Olympic committees (NOCs) of Angola, B ...

in 2022. She was awarded the

Peace Run The Peace Run is a global relay which promotes international friendship and understanding, founded by Sri Chinmoy. History In 1987, Sri Chinmoy, founded a run for international friendship, the Peace Run. The Liberty Torch Run, a relay to mark ...

's 2024 Torch-Bearer Award for her work in peacemaking and the Olympic movement. She has also served in the (including as a founding member), as an

International Teqball Federation The International Teqball Federation (FITEQ, French: Fédération Internationale de Teqball) is the governing body for the sport of teqball and para teqball. FITEQ is responsible for the organisation of teqball's major international tournaments, ...

Executive Board member, and as an IOC representative on the

World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; , AMA) is an international organization co-founded by the governments of over 140 nations along with the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against d ...

board. In an interview with ''Nós Genti'', she once said that she was "a bit critical of top-level sports in Cape Verde", citing the differences of her own experiences in her native Cape Verde and her own expectations, as well as the large amount of natives playing abroad, but acknowledged the progress her sport has made in the nation and her support for making Olympic solidarity nationally widespread.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortes, Filomena 1966 births Living people Cape Verdean handball players International Olympic Committee members Handball players from Luanda University of Porto alumni NOVA University Lisbon alumni Handball administrators Women sports executives and administrators