M.A. Olympic Studies – Getting to know the Olympic Movement inside out

With the Olympic Games 2012 finally underway in London, the complexity of staging the biggest sporting event in the world becomes once more apparent. However, to fully understand the Olympic Movement in which the Olympic Games are embedded, it is important not only to obtain knowledge about the Games themselves but also the wider, humanistic values which distinguish them from other global sporting events.

"To fully understand the Olympic Movement in which the Olympic Games are embedded, it is important not only to obtain knowledge about the Games themselves but also the wider, humanistic values which distinguish them from other global sporting events"

In order to address this need the German Sport University Cologne has implemented the unique M.A. programme Olympic Studies in cooperation with Loughborough University, Universitat Autònoma Barcelona, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Universität des Saarlandes and Johannes-Gutenberg Universität Mainz in 2010. The programme is taught part-time with six seminar weeks spread over the course of two years and awards a full Master of Arts in Olympic Studies. It is designed to address the needs of those working in the fields of education, industry, and the media, as well as those from the Olympic and other sport organisations. The knowledge gained in the programme could be transferred to the daily working practice of representatives of the Olympic family, including media agencies, international federations, National Olympic Committees, TOP-sponsors, sport academies and the International Olympic Committee.  

The advanced studies programme implements a high-level, interdisciplinary curriculum in Olympic Studies aimed at fostering the links between the academic and Olympic worlds. It´s main objective is to provide the students with an interdisciplinary knowledge about the Olympic Movement and consequently the field of Olympic Studies is approached in a unique interdisciplinary manner reflecting the various dimensions of the modern Olympic Games. In this way, the individual participant´s Olympic knowledge in social sciences and humanities will be enhanced whilst at the same time promoting the participant´s critical appreciation of the nature and significance of values in the advocacy and practice of Olympism, Olympic sport, and the Olympic Movement. Thus, teaching contents cover a wide range of relevant topics, including historical, educational, cultural, ethical, commercial, and political aspects of the Olympic Movement and the programme focuses on matters including Olympic governance, international relations and athletic performance in top-level sport.

Teaching takes place on the campus of the German Sport University Cologne, a fully recognised sport university with all the academic privileges of a public institution of higher education. The contents are delivered by highly qualified professors from the different cooperating universities with long and proven experience in the field of Olympic Studies. They are also responsible for the supervision of the Master Theses, which is to be conducted at the end of the two-year study programme.

At the moment, the second course with sixteen students from four different continents is taking place. The next intake will start in September 2013, with registration closing at the end of December 2012.

If you are interested in the programme and you would like to participate and enhance your knowledge about the Olympic Movement, please contact the Programme Coordinator Jörg Krieger ([email protected] or +49-221-4982-3840) in order to get an application form.

For more information on the programme, please visit the website of the Institute of Sport History at the German Sport University Cologne: www.dshs-koeln.de/sportgeschichte.