2013 SU Update: World’s First FISU International Education Centre opens in Russia

 Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Vitaly Mutko with Director General of Kazan 2013 Vladimir Leonov

KAZAN – Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Vitaly Mutko signed an order to open the FISU International Education Centre, thus making one of the largest projects of the 2013 Summer Universiade Legacy a reality

The FISU International Education Centre is created in accordance with the memorandum signed in 2010 by its founders, i.e. the International University Sports Federation, Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of theRussian Federation, Republic of Tatarstan and Russian Student Sports Union. The centre will be functioning on the basis of the Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism and will be housed in its research and laboratory complex which will be transformed into the International Media Centre at Games time.

The academy’s staff members took most active part in the development of the FISU Centre’s concept according to which the educational establishment will be engaged in targeted training of experts and volunteers for Universiades and other international sport competitions. The educational programs will cover the following areas:sport event management, human resources, sports event marketing, sport journalism, etc. Such spheres as sports engineering and sports medicine are set to be included in the program in the future. The FISU experts will help to elaborate special-purpose training programs for support staff, to certify them in collaboration with other international education centers and universities, as well as to recruit competent lecturers and highly experienced teachers in the centre.

Among other projects powered by the FISU International Education Centre are the New Media young sports journalists training program that the centre has already put into practice, the Kazan 2013 volunteer educational course that is soon to be introduced and Russian language classes for foreign students applying for a master’s degree program that will become available in the new academic year.

To be specific, the registration for the New Media International Young Sports Journalists School kicks off in February 2012, and in March the Executive Directorate launches the Kazan 2013 support staff training program, including the preparation of volunteers for the 2013 Games.

The mission of the FISU International Education Centre is to manage the knowledge in the sphere of university sports that is to accumulate, to analyze, to store and to transfer theFISUexperience to national and international experts, i.e. members of Universiade organizing committees and national university sports associations ofFISU.

State Secretary and Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Deputy Minister Natalya Parshikova said: «The centre is set to become a basic platform inRussiadesigned to implement short-term training courses with a focus on sports managers, experts in various fields of sports industry and also managers of volunteer training programs at large-scale competitions.»

The FISU officials stated more than once that they considered the foundation of the International Education Centre in the host city of the 27th World University Summer Games as an innovative project and major legacy of the 2013 Summer Universiade.

For reference, the FISU Seminar which took place in the capital of Tatarstan in January, 2012 became the first project implemented by theFISUInternational Education Centre under the aegis of the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of Russia. A course of video lectures was recorded at the seminar to build a methodological basis for organizers of future Universiades and other international sport competitions.

The FISU conference titled «University Sports and Olympic Sports: Two Models – One Goal» will be another high-profile international educational project initiated by the Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of theRussian Federation. The conference is set to be held in July, 2013 by the International Education Centre and Volga Region State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism.

(Source: Press Office of Ministry of Sports, Tourism and Youth Policy of Russia & Media Department of Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate)

Sport, Tourism and Youth Policy Minister Vitaly Mutko