TAFISA Members Complete Online Sport Management Course

From 23 November to 3 December, 26 representatives from TAFISA member organisations attended and graduated from the first-ever TAFISA/ROC/RIOU Sport Event Management Course. Congratulations to them!

The online course organised by the Russian Olympic Committee and TAFISA, and hosted by the Russian International Olympic University, was an exclusive offer to TAFISA members and aimed to support their human resources capacity building efforts in sport event management. Representatives from 26 countries and all continents joined this first course, which raised the interest of more than 80 applicants. A second cohort will follow the online course’s next session from 22 February 2021. 

The programme started on 23 November with words of welcome from TAFISA Secretary General Wolfgang Baumann, ROC Director General Vladimir Sengleev and RIOU Rector Prof. Lev Belousov. 

Sengleev highlighted that “The Olympic Movement should be supported by two pillars: mass sport (grassroots sport) and high achievement sport. Both should develop in parallel, and not to the detriment of each other, including with the participation of TAFISA. In 2024, as part of the 8th TAFISA World Sport for All Games due to be held in Nizhny Novgorod, we plan to organise a conference dedicated to this topic for representatives of numerous National Olympic Committees”. Baumann followed, underlining that “TAFISA gladly supports the initiative of the Russian Olympic Committee in initiating this educational course. I am optimistic about the future and hope that over time, young sports managers from all over the world will make a significant contribution to our work. The current course is not a one-off event, but a long-term project aimed at training a new generation of managers in Sport for All.” 

Belousov then informed the participants that “The Russian International Olympic University is a direct result of the legacy of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi and during the past three years we have confidently held second place in Europe and tenth in the world in terms of educational programmes in sports management according to the British magazine SportBusiness International. RIOU is one of the few educational institutions that has the right to use Olympic symbols on diplomas, and all our teaching methods have been approved by the International Olympic Committee.”

The course covered key elements of sport event management such as Leadership in Sport for All, Sport for All Programmes, Events and Target Groups Management, Strategic Planning, Branding and Promotion of Sport Events, Project Planning, Risk Management, Sport Events Sponsorship, Sport Venues Management, Crowd Management, and Sustainable Legacy of Sport Events. Case studies including Sport for All programmes in Russia and the 8th TAFISA World Sport for All Games 2024 were given by Vladimir Sengleev.

Participants were split in working group and had to simulate the management of a sport event of their choice, presenting the results of their work to the lecturers on 29th November.

TAFISA would like to extend its gratitude to the Russian Olympic Committee and Russian International Olympic University for organising and hosting the course, as well as its congratulations to all participants for graduating, sharing their experiences and challenging the lecturers.