The creation of broad educational opportunities, which is important for future sports managers, is a priority task for National Olympic Committees (NOCs) all over the world. In this matter, the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) has been one of the key partners for the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) for more than 10 years.

RIOU is a unique educational institution, where educational programs of professional improvement and career enhancement are based on the Olympic knowledge. Experience of hosting large-scale competitions such as the Olympic Games gives a practical understanding of the algorithms of actual management practice.

RIOU was established in Russia during the period of Sochi 2014 Games preparations and it has become the key element of the Sochi 2014 humanitarian legacy. By now, RIOU has become one of the European leaders in its field of education. Seminars and masterclasses are conducted by specialized foreign experts with globally renowned reputations. Lectures are delivered by the leading Russian experts.

The university helps us to bring together people from different countries who gain knowledge here and return to their home countries as RIOU ambassadors around the world. I hope that the ideology of interaction with all countries and continents, which had been originally laid down in the development strategy of the university, will allow RIOU to remain a leading university in the field of sports administration.

Within 10 years of its foundation, the university has become a multi-disciplinary platform specialising in raising professional sports managers. The graduates’ level of skills allow them to be in-demand in the structures of the Russian and global Olympic and Paralympic Movements, sports federations and clubs, sports media, sports equipment production companies, and sports marketing.

The university's main educational product is a one-year Master of Sport Administration (MSA) course launched in September 2013. This special programme has been devised by a group of leading Russian and foreign experts in accordance with RIOU's original concept approved by the International Olympic Committee. It is important to emphasise that this course was widely recognised not only in Russia but abroad as well. In 2017, the influential British magazine SportBusiness International  ranked the MSA course second among all European postgraduate sports courses.

RIOU is currently delivering more than 20 educational programs, aimed at the professional development of sports managers, including heads of sports organisations and clubs, competition organisers, as well as hospitality professionals, lecturers, sports lawyers, and economists.

It deserves to be noted, that at Association of National Olympic Committees Culture and Education Commission meetings, the issue of career enhancement for retired athletes is a regular item on the agenda. RIOU provides such opportunities, offering specialised courses for Olympians. For example, anti-doping programmes, programmes for coaches in various sports, sports media representatives and sports psychologists.

The portfolio of courses is regularly updated in following the actual trends in the global sports and related industry. On average, 60 to 70 groups with a maximum of 20 people each go through educational programs of professional development and advancement annually. This number of groups and their composition have been defined to optimise the learning process and improve the level of interaction between lecturers and students.

It is worth separately noting that during the last three years, the number of students who received diplomas and certificates for university programmes increased by almost one third - 2,550 students in 2019 against 1,943 after the first two years of the Olympic educational programmes. The number of students from remote regions of Russia increased by 30 per cent. The number of foreign students in the programmes also doubled. It is important to note that under restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some courses of this year are being conducted - for the first time - online, which makes it even easier for students from abroad to attend.

We connect the inflow of students primarily with the fact that RIOU actively develops international relations and actively spreads the information about educational programmes. Also, the NOCs request and receive the course attendance info free of charge.

Based on the students' feedback we and colleagues in RIOU receive, the courses that were delivered online due to the pandemic have not lost quality. It is a display of the high level of teaching at the university and the ability of specialists to adapt the material and presentation thereof under any conditions. For our part, we highly appreciate our cooperation and we are confident that the interaction between ROC and RIOU will continue to develop productively and harmoniously.

Also, the Olympic University can adapt programmes to the needs and goals of students. RIOU, with the support of ROC, is planning to deliver a joint Sports Events Management programme targeting international audiences, including members of the The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA). The programme seeks to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of sports event management and organisation principles. The structure of the course reflects a diverse professional expertise of the lecturers and current theories in the field of event management. The syllabus includes topics such as strategic planning, event branding and promotion, organisation of matches and crowd management, basic principles of sponsorship and venue management. The teaching team incorporates practitioners with extensive experience in areas such as sports management and event management at both national and international levels.

An important detail that I also would like to mention: RIOU is not only the flagship of sports education in Europe and globally but also a remarkable venue for sports conferences and events. As a part of the university’s 10th anniversary, an exhibition of Olympic artifacts - provided by Vladimir Potanin and showcasing one of the largest private collections in the world - took place. This autumn we are planning to hold another edition of the Young Olympians Forum, rescheduled from June, as well as the ROC Athletes’ Commission with All-Russian Sports Federations meeting. I am confident that we will be able to update you on the details of both events.

There is no doubt that under the pandemic conditions, educational processes will not be able to return in a stable course soon, but I believe that RIOU will continue to adapt to the challenges of new realities and inspire future generations of sports leaders through online and other technologically advanced formats!