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The Master’s Degree Programme “Olympic Studies, Olympic Education, Organisation and Management of Olympic Events” in 2020
The Master’s Degree Programme “Olympic Studies, Olympic Education, Organisation and Management of Olympic Events” in 2020
The courses of the second semester of the academic year 2019-20 were scheduled to start on 10 March 2020, with the students arriving in Sparta for this purpose. By decision of the Minister of Education, however, the courses were postponed for precautionary reasons due to the coronavirus pandemic and the students returned to their countries.Some of them were especially lucky and attended the torch relay for the 2020 Olympic Games, while the student Christine Dankwa from Canada was a torchbearer.At that time, as most students stressed the irreplaceable nature of the courses at Ancient Olympia, they expressed a desire to return there. The unique experience they had during the first semester in Ancient Olympia was catalytic and etched deep in their memory. It was thus decided to complete their dissertation by the winter of 2020 and to return for the courses of the second semester at the IOA facties in Ancient Olympia, in the spring of 2021.Certainly, this desire of the students is in line with the philosophy and vision of the programme, which is based on the experiential learning process in the environment of the International Olympic Academy. One of the main goals of the Master’s Degree Programme is to support the values of the Olympic Movement, offering a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to the fields related to Olympic Studies.On September 21, the nineteen students of the academic year 2020-21 started their courses, adding Dubai and Tunisia to the long list of countries of origin of the postgraduate students, which now amount to 294 students from 98 different countries. The courses were held for the first time online, adapting the programme to the requirements of the times and putting the health of students and professors as the first priority.Also, for the first time, IOC Olympic Solidarity, which has been a staunch supporter of the programme since 2013, communicated to the National Olympic Committees its desire to support all of the student applications for scholarships to cover tuition fees.The courses of the winter semester are:1. The history and philosophy of sport in Antiquity, with Professors Dr Paul Christesen and Dr Evangelos Albanidis2. The modern Olympic Games, with Professor Dr Konstantinos Georgiadis, Director of the Programme, and Dr Ian Brittain3. Olympic Pedagogy I, with Emeritus Professor Dr Konstantinos Mountakis, Associate Professor Dr Michal Bronikowski, Associate Professor Dr KaterinaMouratidou and Assistant Professor Dr Maria Chassandra 4. Sport and Ethics-Olympic Philosophy, with Professors Dr Jim Parry and Dr Cesar Τοrres, and Associate Professor Dr Irena Martinkova and finally5. Research methods in Social Sciences and Olympic Studies, with Professors Dr Antonios Travlos and Dr Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Associate Professor Dr Athanasios Strigas and Dr Angeliki Bistaraki.Through these courses, with the valuable contribution of the lecturers who have many years of experience and by selecting appropriate teaching methods, the greatest possible effort is made to maintain the immediacy and interaction of the traditional course. This reproduces, as much as possible, the multicultural climate of the classroom through the exchange of ideas and attitudes and emphasises the fundamental values of Olympism, such as socialisation in a globalised environment, direct and seamless communication, mutual respect and solidarity.We would like to close with the wish that the Master’s Degree Programme, when the pandemic is over, will soon be able to find itself back in its natural space, Ancient Olympia, hosting the students of both academic years together.
“Some of them were especially lucky and attended the torch relay for the 2020 Olympic Games, while the student Christine Dankwa from Canada was a torchbearer.”