Next in our Meet the Team series we chat to Dr Niki Koutrou, the Programme Director for BA Sport Management
Why did you pick a career in sport?
I have been involved in sports from a very young age. I always enjoyed the opportunities to meet people and make friends that sport participation provides. While at high school, I used to compete in basketball where in 1999-00 season we won the Girls’ Greek National Basketball Championship with my team. I then started practicing badminton winning a 3rd place in mixed doubles at the 2004 Greek National Championships. I grew up near Ancient Olympia, the birthplace of the Olympic Games, which was quite influential for me in not only practicing sports but also in choosing to specialise in Olympic Games Management and education later on.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Kent?
I find it rewarding when we help our sport management students to develop confidence and independence early on through the various extracurricular and placement opportunities we provide throughout the 3 years of their studies. We are a small dynamic team and this enables us to get closer to our students, understand their needs, and direct them to various opportunities to enhance their professional career.
What are you currently researching?
My research is currently focusing on two main areas. Firstly, I focus on investigating social legacies of mega sport events. In particular, I focus on sport volunteering and how experience at one event or sport club influences volunteer decisions to transfer their efforts to other events or community initiatives in the future. Second, I look at Sport sustainability and in particular the various factors that impact upon the sustainability of government funded projects once their funding ends. Further, I look at a very topical issue related to environmental sustainability through sports by examining EU/government policies on environmental protection and sport organisations response to these through various sport projects and initiatives.
What is your favourite sport to watch or play?
I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by going at the gym regularly. I also enjoy swimming and cycling, especially when the weather allows. I pretty much like watching any sports but my favourite ones are basketball, football and badminton. As a hobby I also like to volunteer when time allows.For example, I have recently volunteered at the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympics and I have applied to volunteer in the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 tournament in London. I also hope to go to Tokyo as a volunteer this summer for the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games.