The recently created Centre for Sustainability & Olympic Legacy of the University of Hull (HCSOL) has been recognised by the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Studies Centre as a research centre actively engaged in Olympic studies.
So far, the new research centre is one of only fifty other institutions worldwide, one of only two institutions in the UK, to have received recognition and it is now included in the IOC OSC’s network of academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres.
It will explore how the Olympics can be more sustainable, environmentally, as well as socially, as well as having a lasting legacy and future for people, society and the environment.
Led by the Energy and Environment Institute’s Dr Agota Mockute and including a team of academic experts from around the University, the centre will provide a central hub for the University’s wide-ranging research and activities which are designed to help the Olympics be more sustainable.
Dr Mockute said: “We are delighted to focus on the areas of critical importance to both organisations – sustainability and legacy.
“This centre will bridge the exciting studies and research that are already undertaken across the University in relation to Olympics, as well as provide significant advantage for securing further interdisciplinary Olympic-centred courses and projects.
“The benefits of joining this global family are vast: from delivering extraordinary courses and projects by leveraging this prestigious accolade to expand our network and funding horizons; to the global network of institutions and experts across the globe to engage with, learn from, and create something even more amazing together. And we are keen to make the most of this opportunity.”
The University has a strong commitment to a more equitable and sustainable future and enables creative solutions needed in addressing the challenges of environmental sustainability and social justice.
Similarly to the IOC’s ambitious target for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Winter Games to be ‘climate positive’ by 2030, the UoH has pledged to be a carbon neutral campus by 2027, the first UK university to do so.
The centre will exploit the University’s research and teaching excellence and expertise in the areas of sustainability and social justice.
It will also build on our collaborative partnership with Team GB, which is currently delivering educational activities including internships and inspirational talks as well as three University-funded PhD research projects addressing Net Zero (Climate), Sport & Wellbeing (Competitors) and Sport, Social Impact & Wellbeing (Community).
Recent joint projects have included the One Team GB Heritage Project, the Tokyo 2020 ‘360 video’ project. The University has agreed to fund three more PhD studentships linked to the Centre’s research themes, and there will also be a series of new courses, including a Team GB inspired Executive MBA.
Objectives for the centre include:
- to provide a specific focus for collaborative research in the area of environmental and social sustainability and the Olympics, through three core themes of Competitors, Community and Climate,
- to investigate and be a source of expert knowledge on how Olympic values can create a positive change and a legacy in the area of sustainability on the environment, society and business (including IOC partners)
- to be a source of expert knowledge to the IOC, and through our research and Knowledge Exchange activities to help create policy evidence and recommendations in the related areas of investigation,
- to stimulate research, teaching and Knowledge Exchange activities within our three themes amongst our academic community, including academics, postdocs, doctoral and undergraduate students.
Anyone who wishes to contact the centre can do so by emailing OlympicCentre@hull.ac.uk or by clicking here.