Australia Secures Bid to Educate Future Olympic Leaders

By Imago Group
Thursday 17 May, 2007

Sport Knowledge Australia (SKA) and the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to provide higher education to Olympic organisers from around the world.

SYDNEY – One of the greatest challenges for Olympic sport organisations is ensuring that current and future managers have the necessary skills required to lead their organisations in the 21st century.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), Olympic Solidarity and the European Olympic Committees’ (EOC) have chosen Australia to host the Executive Masters in Sport Organisation Management programme (MEMOS) in 2008.

With more than 200 MEMOS graduates from around the world currently working with 100 Olympic organisations, participation in the MEMOS education offerings is a benchmark for leaders working in international sports organisations and in particular National Olympic Committees (NOC’s).

In a first for Asia Pacific and in recognition of the dominance Australia has at international executive management level within sports, MEMOS will be presented in Australia in June 2008.

“This is a very prestigious course, where executive managers of international sport have the opportunity to accelerate their professional learning. The academic structure is specifically designed to work seamlessly in a practical development framework, ensuring the experience is applicable to the socio-economic, political and management challenges faced by modern sports managers,” says Leighton Wood, CEO of Sport Knowledge Australia.

“The AOC welcomes the opportunity to co-host the MEMOS program in Australia. This important program has been critical to developing the expertise of Olympic administrators globally. We are confident that with SKA’s expertise the Sydney module will be a memorable and rewarding experience for the attendees. The staging of the forum at NSWIS means that the attendees will experience first hand the legacy of Sydney 2000 that exists at Sydney Olympic Park” Craig Phillips, Secretary General of Australian Olympic Committee.

MEMOS will convene in three countries for the 2008 programme, commencing in Lausanne, Switzerland, then its thirty-five participants will move to Sydney Olympic Park, Australia to take part in the third module: Human Resource and Intercultural Management of Sport at the New South Wales Institute of Sport facilities, with their travelling teaching staff made up of the world’s leading Professors in Sport Management.

ABOUT SKA: Launched in June 2005 with a Federal Government grant, SKA is jointly owned by the University of Sydney, University of Technology, Sydney and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. SKA assists the continued global growth of the sports industry, helping more communities around the world to benefit from Australia’s strong sporting culture. Since its launch, SKA has delivered sport management programmes at the prestigious Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, run facility management courses in China and various seminars and courses in Australia on topics as diverse as player valuation strategies, genetic doping in sport, player welfare, executive sport management, elite sport coaching, major event management and facility management.

ATTENTION EDITORS AND PRODUCERS: Leighton Wood, CEO of Sport Knowledge Australia or Craig Phillips, Secretary General of Australian Olympic Committee are available for interview by contacting – Jenny Muir: Imago Group Tel: +61 2 9331 7222 / Mob: 0415 401 200 or Mike Tacred: Australian Olympic Committee Mob: 0412 330 274