FISU International Education Centre: From Plan to Reality

KAZAN – The working session on the establishment of the FISU International Education Centre in Kazan under the concept of the Legacy for the 27th Summer Universiade was held in the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of the Russian Federation on November 2^nd.

The session chaired by Natalia Parshikova, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of Russia, also saw the attendance of Oleg Matytsin, 1st Vice President of the International University Sports Federation and President of the Russian Student Sports Union; Marat Bariev, Secretary General of the Olympic Committee of Russia; Rafis Burganov, Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan; Azat Kadyrov, 1st Deputy Director of the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate; Yusup Yakubov, Rector of the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism, and other officials.

Among the topics discussed at the meeting were top-priority measures that should be taken to put theFISUInternational Education Centre into operation and organize its activities, as well as election of the council of trustees and expert council. The meeting decided to create the working group which will be responsible for exploring all the issues and presenting the solutions at the FISU Executive Committee meeting.

Let us remind you that the Memorandum of Intent on creation of the first-ever FISU International Education Center was signed in 2010 by three organizations:FISU, the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy ofRussiaand the Russian Student Sports Union. The FISU executives stated more than once that they saw the International Education Centre which was to be founded in the host city of the 27th Summer Universiade as an innovative project and major legacy of the Universiade. The education centre will conduct a target-oriented training of volunteers and qualified personnel that will get involved in the preparations and staging of the World University Summer Games and other international sporting events. At that, FISU will act as the main coordinator of goal-oriented programs and its specialists will participate in development of special personnel training programs, cooperate with other international education centers and universities, and recruit qualified lecturers and experienced teachers.

The FISU International Education Centre will function on the basis of the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism and will be housed in the international media centre located on the territory of the Universiade Village. According to executives of the Russian Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy, the education centre created inKazanis intended to become a basic ground for implementing short-term target-oriented programs designed to train sports managers, specialists in a variety of fields in the sports industry, including volunteer managers.

As of today the concept of the International Education Centre’s operation has been developed and it got approved by FISU. Upon the recommendation of the International University Sports Federation, students from all parts of the world will be granted master degrees in sports management. The first students are expected to be admitted in the education centre in 2012.

(Source: Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)