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

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.