02/07/2026
Congress Day 1 Recap 🇵🇹☀️
Day 1 is officially in the books!
We arrived thinking we were absolutely blazing hot… turns out it was just Estoril casually turning up the thermostat to 42°C. 🔥
A huge shout-out to the organising team; registration was open and running like clockwork from 06:30, and the audiovisual team had me presentation ready in no time.
By 07:30, Team South Africa was on stage, and we did what South Africans do best—we kicked things off with energy, enthusiasm, and just enough banter to wake everyone up.
Speaking of banter… the football World Cup rivalry definitely made its way into the congress. Team Canada may have delivered outstanding presentations, but we’re still not quite over that World Cup result. 😅 Safe to say we’re still “processing” it! The Ecuador–Mexico exchanges were equally entertaining, Brazil arrived with the confidence of a team expecting to win everything, Colombia brought incredible energy, Chile represented proudly, and we wrapped up the day with excellent presentations from the Ecuadorian Academy.
The Americans followed the South African session with some absolute heavyweights, raising the bar even higher and adding plenty of flair to the discussions. ASEAN delivered stellar presentations, and the Australasian Academy certainly wasn’t about to be outdone. Every session seemed to build on the last, making for an incredible international showcase of expertise.
The congress has truly gotten off to a phenomenal start. Outstanding attendance, impeccable organisation, lively discussions, and scientific content of the highest calibre.
I’m still trying to process just how much I learnt today. The sheer volume of knowledge, experience and innovation shared in a single day is almost impossible to comprehend. If Day 1 is anything to go by, the rest of this congress is going to be something very special.
Here’s to Day 2! 🇿🇦🌍
TeamSouthAfricaSORSAAFPSA