SSES Lecturer presents at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Education Programme

One of our BA Sport Management academics, Dr.Niki Koutrou, has recently participated at the 8th Olympic Studies and Sport Management workshop organised by the National Institute of Fitness and Sports International Sport Academy (NIFISA).

Dr Niki Koutrou attended this event, which was hosted in Kagoshima and Tokyo, and has also given a presentation about her research: The volunteering legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games and the lessons future Olympic Games organisers could learn from London 2012 and the management of the Games Makers.

The event forms part of the Tokyo 2020 Sport for Tomorrow Olympic Education and legacy project, which is funded by the Japanese Government. The NIFISA program consisted of Olympic studies and sport management lectures by Japanese and international professors as well as members of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee. The program also included Japanese cultural activities, Japanese traditional sport experiences such as Kendo, Judo and Naginata. Visitors were also received tours and seminars at the Ajimonoto National Training Centre and the Japan Anti-doping Agency, participation at the Coach Development academy at Nippon Sport Science University in Tokyo and attendance of a baseball game in Tokyo. Finally, the program has offered visitors the opportunity to participate in a two-day homestay with a Japanese family in Kanoya, to enhance international understanding and dialogue and increase awareness of the Japanese culture. These events were organised to offer participants a breadth of experiences and understanding of the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Dr.Niki Koutrou is currently planning to extend her research on the social legacy of Tokyo 2020 Games by using Sport for Tomorrow program as a case study.