ASIA Ripe for Sport

The Australian, Page 24
Wednesday 05 April, 2006

An Australian higher education exporter has signed an exclusive deal to sell sports know-how to the emerging Asia-Pacific market. Sport Knowledge Australia, launched last year and bankrolled with $8.7 million in federal government seed money, will offer sports management diplomas to mainly mature-aged students in the region, including from China. Chief Executive Leighton Wood told the HES that the University of Technology, Sydney and the University of Sydney were likely partners in SKA's deal with international provider Thomson Learning Australia.

"Thomson is the marketing and infrastructure vehicle and we are the content providers," Mr Wood said. "It will be the first time they have offered sports education and we have a global exclusive deal to provide that knowledge." The initial thrust will be into the Asia-Pacific region, which Mr Wood said was not a noted node of sports expertise until recently. "Now there are professional soccer leagues [and 2.26m tall Chinese export] Yao Ming is an overnight sensation in US basketball, and the kids are very much picking up on that," he said.

"They're picking up on culture that surrounds that. . . sportswear you see them wearing in the street and they wouldn't have done that five or 10 years ago."

"Just two years out from the Beijing Olympics, sport is regarded as a sunrise industry in China, which in time will [be rated] among the top 10 industries in the country." SKA planned to offer bachelor and masters programs, as well as professional education programs in sports event management, facilities management and athletic performance, including areas such as coaching. Mr Wood said the market was ripe for more knowledge. "Sport education in Asia is at a very immature level," he said.

"I would liken Asia to Australia in 1980, when all we ever produced was physical education graduates. People running sport in Asia generally have no sport management qualifications. The courses, slated for an early or mid-2007 launch, would be offered online. Further down the track, we would be looking at offering the theoretical component online and the practical component through partners overseas," Mr Wood said.

Initial projected student numbers are about 200 from Australia, building to 1000 in the next four years; and in Asia, 1000 in the first year and up to 10, 000 in the first four years.