The Kazakh National University of Sports in Astana says it has become the first university in Central Asia to join a global network of academic Olympic studies centers. It announced the recognition on September 17.
The Academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres network connects institutions researching the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement. The university says around 80 such centers operate worldwide. Their work includes teaching, scientific events, and the publication of research.
The network is coordinated by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne and provides a forum for cooperation between academics in different countries.
The university trains coaches, physical education teachers, sports managers, and other specialists. Its training also extends to staff for rehabilitation centers and organizers of mass sporting events.
It is now developing a Center for Olympic Studies, Education and Legacy, which will focus on research into the history, values, and long-term impact of the Olympic Movement.
Membership in the international network will allow the Astana center to work with universities and research centers overseas and exchange research and teaching practices, the university said.
The university said support from the National Olympic Committee was an important condition for recognition. It is already working with Kazakhstan’s committee on projects involving Olympic education and research.
The new center is intended to bring students and lecturers into discussion with researchers and sports professionals, making Olympic studies part of the university’s sports science and education work.
