Innovative Sports Program Launched

By Tony De Bolfo
The SportsVine
Thursday 9 June, 2005

A $440,000 scholarship program supporting the studies of six gifted academics over three years, was this week outlined at the launch of Sport Knowledge Australia (SKA) at Sydney’s Olympic Park.

SKA CEO Leighton Wood, the former head of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, said that the scholars were representative of SKA’s forward-thinking vision. “The scholarship program is highly selective and the academics involved have been chosen for their ability to contribute to future scientific and business management practices in sport,” Wood said.

“Their research and PhD studies will feed back into a highly sophisticated
knowledge pool allowing us to maintain education products that sit on the cutting edge of sport.”

In July 2004, the Federal Government, through the Department of Education, Science and Training, allocated $8.6million in seed funding to professional level sport education, through SKA. The funding is to be released to SKA periodically until 2007, by which time the organisation must be self-funding.

“This innovative program will deliver market driven, leading edge, practical and premium quality education products in Australia and overseas,” Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Science and Training, Pat Farmer said.

SKA is jointly-owned by Sydney University, the University of Technology, Sydney and the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. SKA will assist the continued global growth of the sports industry, helping more communities around the world to benefit from strong sporting cultures.

As well as the participation of sports science and management experts from worldclass faculties across the country, these courses will feature high profile industry representatives as guest presenters. For the inaugural management course, guests will be ICC CEO Malcolm Speed and AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou.

For the coaching course, SKA has attracted charismatic Alberto Salazar who is known throughout the world as the winner of three consecutive New York City Marathons in the early 80s and now officiates as head coach of the Elite Athletes Oregon Project. He is joined by Australian Cricket coach John Buchanan, swimming coaching legend Don Talbot, Dr Istvan Gorgenyi - the gold medal winning women’s water polo coach and famed Olympian hockey player and coach, Ric Charlesworth.

Photo:Matthew Vasilescu