Visit our Industry Pathway website for more information

In 123 countries across every continent

From 46 sports

Over $450,000 (USD) in scholarships provided since May 2020

WAoS has assisted thousands of athletes around the world:

Creating sustainable systems to support dual career options for student-athletes

Scholarships for athletes to study international sports management and turn their passion for sport into a profession

The World Academy of Sport (WAoS) is a social enterprise that supports athletes around the world through:

Designing learning strategies fit for organisations

Building education systems and learning pathways to achieve organisational priorities

Providing quality assurance and course delivery

Establishing International frameworks for those organisations and individuals who achieve quality standards

We create learning systems for the following sectors.

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WAoS creates structural change where learning and education can assist organisations in achieving strategic goals. Get in contact if you need world leading education to empower your workforce or assist in reinventing your organisation's business model. 

Individual Professional Development

Governments

International Sport Federations

Events

LEARNING SERVICES

OUR PARTNERS

Player Pathway Programme

FIBA

Here is a diverse selection of various projects that we have created and delivered

Bahrian Olympic Committee (BOC)

Sports Authority of Thailand

IPC Academy

Badminton World Federation (BWF)

International Tennis Federation (ITF)

IPC Academy Inclusion Summit

IPC Academy Excellence Programme

Information, Knowledge and Games Learning (IKL)

Games Campus

OUR PROJECTS

Here is a diverse selection of various projects that we have created and delivered

OUR PROJECTS

At the core of WAoS, are the people that play a part in providing world leading, tailored education programmes and strategies with our partners.

Each and every individual shares the WAoS vision to provide learning pathways for participants throughout the international sport sector.

For further details on who our people are, please see below.

OUR PEOPLE

INTERNATIONAL

ADVISORY BOARD

TRAINERS

VISITING FELLOWS

OUR TEAM

INTERNATIONAL

ADVISORY BOARD

OUR TEAM

Front End Programmer

Online Training Technical Administrator

Project Coordinator, IF Relations

Case Writer & Education Content Developer 

Manager, Event Learning Programmes and Services

Rachael Church

OUR TEAM

Ben Emerson

Eamonn O'Rourke

Anna Falconer

Sue Bridgewater

WAoS appoints its Visiting Fellows based on their demonstrated expertise and recognition within the industry sector they represent. The following individuals have been appointed as Visiting Fellows of WAoS and present on a number of our industry leading programmes.

Steve Griffiths

VISITING FELLOWS

RBI Network

Strategic Director and Development, Manchester City Council

Principal (RHUL)

Head of IB World Schools (IB)

Director (WAoS)

Managing Director (WAoS)

Secretary General (WA)

COO (ITF)

Head of Technical Services (WR)

The International Advisory Board (IAB) was established in 2009 to advise and support the work of WAoS.The IAB consists of influential persons coming from international sport and education. The work undertaken with WAoS makes a significant contribution in the form of expert advice, knowledge and direction.

The IAB is chaired by Mr Franá§ois Carrard, former Director General of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is made up of various leaders from the international sport, education, government and industry sectors and is representative of the WAoS partners including athlete representation. Such support continues to underline the international importance of activities undertaken by WAoS and the importance with which our sporting and educational partners place on the needs for tailored industry education.

The key objectives of the Board are:

• To provide strategic direction and leadership to the WAoS,
• To build relationships between sports partners in order to develop industry standards for sports education for implementation by education partners,
• To provide advice in relation to WAoS,
• To provide independent industry advice,
• To represent the interests and advocate the long term value of WAoS to industry stakeholders.

CEO (WOA)

Vice President (UWW)

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

Tony Robinson

Rachel Faull-Brown

Simon Jones

Steve Griffiths

TRAINERS

Chris is Director of the World Academy of Sport, as well as Managing Director of IF Education. IF Education is an education service provider, in partnership with a number of International Sporting Federations, establishing educational courses for athletes and sporting administrators.

In 1999 Chris was instrumental in the conception and creation of Olympic Games Knowledge Services (OGKS), a joint venture with the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Chris was a member of this company board until late 2004 when the IOC acquired the joint venture company shareholding which he represented.

Prior to this Chris was the inaugural Chief Executive of the Australian Ski Institute as the forerunner to the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, an internationally recognised high performance centre of athletic excellence. In addition, he has represented Australia at five Winter Universiades, on four occasions holding the position of Chef de Mission. He has also held prominent roles in the University sporting world on the board of directors of Australian University Sport for a number of years during his academic career.

Based in Switzerland, Chris holds a BSc (Hons) and is regularly working with many of the International Sporting Federations on their athlete and executive education programmes. He was an executive committee member of the 2004 and 2008 Australian Prime Minister's Olympic Dinner Committee.

As Deputy Managing Director of the World Academy of Sport (WAoS), Michael is responsible for many areas across the business including its digital platform, Event Learning and Athlete Friendly Education Centres. He has been a founding member of the WAoS team and therefore instrumental across all aspects of the organisation from fostering its many partners, developing each of the product and service areas through to developing its overall brand.

Michael developed his technical skiing skills through coaching and ski instructing in both Australia and Canada having completed a BSc Human Movement (Sport Science). He moved into administrative and management roles across several industry sectors and assisted Ski and Snowboard Australia on a voluntary capacity throughout 2001 and 2002.

Since 2002 he has focussed on the creation of World Academy of Sport and has been at the forefront of developing industry focussed education programmes for its many international sport federation partners, often working on bringing concepts to fruition.  He has been the architect of the digital learning platform which has been developed inhouse to meet the requirements of delivering education with strong quality assurance processes throughout the world in multiple languages and cultures as well as being an important tool to assist the delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Through its partnership with the International Baccalaureate WAoS has developed an international approach to increasing access to education for high-performing student-athletes so they can better balance their demanding sport and education commitments known as Athlete Friendly Education Centres. This initiative has been a particular rationale for the original establishment of WAoS and Michael passionately believes in the invaluable contribution such a project can have on many student athletes' lives in the coming years.

OUR STORY

OUR STORY

WAoS has been involved in multiple aspects of the international sport industry for many years. Beginning with establishing the Australian Ski Institute with the vision to win Australia's first Olympic medal on snow. What was created not only achieved success in the most unlikely of sports from Australia but formed a legacy that continues to this day through the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.

While creating ski champions and travelling to Winter Olympic Games we observed two things;

• That sport systems often cannot support champion athletes to maintain a dual career; and
• That the wheel was reinvented for each Olympic Games

SPORT FOUNDATION

From 1999 through to 2004, the founders of WAoS created a joint venture company with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) known as OGKS. This established the process of transferring knowledge from one Olympic Games to the next. The company was successful in its aims having systemised a consistent approach to knowledge management in the Olympic Movement and also providing support to the IRB (now World Rugby) and the Commonwealth Games Federation. The IOC ultimately bought the existing shares in OGKS and established this as an internal department known as Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM) within the IOC.

OLYMPIC GAMES KNOWLEDGE SERVICES (OGKS)

Since 2005, WAoS has sought to address the issue of athletes maintaining a balance between sport and education. Through the knowledge gained in running national sporting organisations and running mega events, WAoS developed a series of specialist approaches to create education that is specific to the needs of international sport federations and their member associations around the world, often in partnership with world leading universities.

SPORT EDUCATION

From the founding principles of the education offering provided by the WAoS, its focus progressively moved to ensuring a tailored approach for its International Sport Federation (IF) partners. From 2010, this resulted in expanded offerings of Executive Education and People Development through ‘Train the Trainer’ and online courses. Innovation has been at the core of WAoS industry specialisation such as the founding of the IPC Academy Excellence Programme to drive integration and innovation of the Paralympic Games. This has now developed to the current day WAoS with a broad range of proven methodologies and a tailored digital learning platform that is specific to the needs of sport and project-based organisations.

INDUSTRY SPECIALISATION

WAoS developed the Olympic Games Learning Model (OGLM) in partnership with OGKM in 2015 and commenced roll out of this new learning approach to future Organising Committees of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOGs).

Meanwhile, projects such as Athlete Friendly Education Centres (AFEC) have allowed many schools around the world to become accredited and thereby offering flexible education to school aged student-athletes. This project has seen policy change within international education frameworks to allow more flexibility in school curriculums and assessments in partnership with the International Baccalaureate (IB).

GLOBAL INDUSTRY STANDARDS

WAoS products and services provide industry leading insight to those within the industry along with those wishing to access it.

ACCESS & OUTREACH

+44 0161 639 0950

info@worldacademysport.com

World Academy of Sport

21 Windmill Parade 

Mount Martha 

3934

Victoria, Australia

World Academy of Sport

iLife Centre

Route Suisse 8A

1163 Etoy

Switzerland

World Academy of Sport

Orega, The Tootal Buildings

Broadhurst House

56 Oxford Street

Manchester

M1 6EU

UK

FOLLOW US

GET IN TOUCH

Many activities have been established to support the IOC’s Games Department and OCOGs through applying several WAoS methodologies. For example, The Games Experience Programme, developed to provide unique behind the scenes learning for the major event industry, Learning Pathways have been established and implemented in OCOGs along with online learning, case studies, train the trainer and executive education programmes among others and all underpinned by ‘Censeo’, the WAoS Learning Platform.

OGKM evolved in 2020 to now be known as Information, Knowledge and Games Learning (IKL). This evolution provides a refreshed focus on learning for the future of Games Management activities. 

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

Through planning with WAoS over 18 months, a strategy was constructed to develop the Olympic Games Learning Model (OGLM) to better service each respective Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (OCOG) and instil a passion for ‘learning and sharing’. Subsequent to the strategy development, WAoS has worked as the education provider to OGKM to develop and implement a number of learning services across the IOC Games Management Team and with future OCOGs.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

Formerly Olympic Games Knowledge Management (OGKM), this area of the International Olympic Committee was responsible for the capture, configuration and disemination of knowledge related to Games delivery. Following London 2012, OGKM was poised to embark on a new strategy, namely OGKM 3.0. Learning was an important aspect that was focused on within the natural evolution of OGKM, and therefore a conversation with WAoS was instigated to develop this new approach.

Our Projects:

Games Learning Model

Athlete Pathway Programme

Our Projects:

International Tennis Federation (ITF)

Badminton World Federation (BWF)

FIBA

OUTCOMES

The 3x3 School Hoops pilot project garnered significant interest from 16 Greater Manchester area schools and considerable participation from both girls and boys. With the success of the 3x3 School Hoops Festival, social media coverage and Press Releases distributed through FIBA.basketball drew attention and impressions to the 3x3 School Hoops programme. The programme is now expanding through roll-out in other UK cities and other countries thereafter.

SOLUTION

Through WAoS’ longstanding relationship with the city of Manchester and the participation of Basketball England, the FIBA Academy (a joint venture between FIBA and World Academy of Sport) developed a 6 month programme, establishing a training framework to engage schools and develop resources for teachers and students to implement 3x3 in schools throughout the city. WAoS developed and delivered training sessions, learning materials, drills books, exercises and curriculums for physical education classes in local schools. The programme culminated in an outdoor 3x3 School Hoops festival hosted at Manchester City’s iconic Etihad Stadium on July 12 2019, with the participation of FIBA 3x3 skills gold medal winner Dahlia Monteiro.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

With 3x3 basketball set to become the newest Olympic discipline at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the opportunity was there to create a grassroots mass participation programme engaging local schools, communities and the National Federation. The discipline, as the world’s most played urban team sport, provided an excellent platform to showcase WAoS’ People Development methodology, by training Ambassadors, Physical Education Coaches and students thereby increasing participation in youth sports and leveraging interest in 3x3 basketball locally.

Our Sports Partners:

Our Projects:

London 2012 Olympics

London 2012 Paralympics

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics

Rio 2016 Olympics

Rio 2016 Paralympics

PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics

PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympics

Lima 2019 Pan American Games

Lima 2019 Parapan American Games

Feedback throughout 2019 was extremely positive and the ITF has now embarked on further engagement with its members to make use of the tools that the ITF Academy provides.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

Following a selective competitive tender, WAoS was identified as the stand-out respondent to the requirements of the large technology project that was envisioned given our tried and tested learning platform, our understanding of the needs of international sport federations and our approach to partnership. The design of the ITF Academy was instigated which entailed the provision of a simple self-publishing eLearning SaaS solution, a complete rebuild of iCoach - with additional features to future proof the system - and an overhaul of coaching certification and on-court-assessments. Naturally, the approach was undertaken in a responsive context with the site now recognised as significant in the digital portfolio of the ITF. It was also the first partnership to apply the new ITF brand allowing a partner to implement this for the first time.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

The ITF recognised the need to update its coaching processes to better utilise digital technologies and further enhance its service offering to all member nations. Additionally, its successful but dated iCoach platform (which provided rich video content and resources to tennis coaches around the world), was increasingly becoming difficult to maintain given technologies had moved on dramatically from when it was first developed in the mid-2000s.

Following the successful Observers Programmes in Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010, the IPC Academy identified that there was a broader group of organisations and individuals that could be serviced through an expanded programme and also enhance the existing offering of the Observers Programme. Traditionally, the Observers Programme was delivered throughout the Paralympic Games and provided the opportunity for future OCOGs, Bid Cities and other Paralympic event organisers to see ‘behind the scenes’ and hear from OCOG leaders and other experts in order to better understand Games operations.

Meanwhile, the Games Experience programme(GEP) is an integrated education journey coordinated by WAoS for future OCOGs. The GEP provides anopportunity for individuals to participate in a structured, tailor-made programme, which allows OCOGs to not only witness and observe real Games-time operations, but to have access to the various managers and knowledgeable staff to enhance their learning process.

Due to the success of the GEP, the IOC has integrated its former Observers Programme into the framework of the Games Campus concept. The GEP is now delivered as one continuous learning opportunity from before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games right through to the Closing Ceremony of the Paralympic Games. WAoS works with both the IOC and IPC to deliver this important operation over a 60-day period.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

BUSINESS CONTEXT

The Inclusion Summit has become an important fixture throughout the Paralympic Games, and presenters have included political ministers, representatives of the World Bank, UN Secretary General and US State Department among many others. During the Rio 2016 Inclusion Summit, the conversation was taken much wider through social media where #InclusionSummit trended as number three across both days of the Summit on Twitter.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

BUSINESS CONTEXT

Leading into the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the IPC recognised the work that had been proactively achieved by the OCOG in relation to inclusion and accessibility. It was an important time for the Paralympic Movement to extend its brand positioning and to actively push the message of what the Paralympic Games could achieve for social inclusion.

There has been consistent reference to the IPC Academy Excellence Programme across numerous Games editions at the official Games Debrief. Senior OCOG leaders have praised the inspirational programme as a key contributor to the success and product growth of the Paralympic Games and of their teams.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

Throughout 2009 and 2010, thorough planning was undertaken by the IPC Academy (an educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the IPC and WAoS), with Sochi 2014 and the IPC to create a number of workshops which would take the OCOG through key learnings and inspire its people to deliver an exceptional games.

Following this initial roll out of what was called the IPC Academy Excellence Programme, all subsequent OCOGs have been fortunate to receive this learning programme which is unique in its structured and coordinated approach to deliver near market insights within an educational framework. The programme continues to this day and plays an important role in the ongoing integration between IOC and IPC operations.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

Following the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) looked to leverage long term opportunities that would further grow and enhance the Games. With Vancouver 2010 already close to delivery and London 2012 well progressed in its planning, a longer term strategy was taken to begin engagement with Sochi 2014. This aimed to implement a coordinated learning pathway over a number of years to identify how Sochi 2014 could maximise the opportunity of the Paralympic Winter Games.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

A partnership with WAoS created the IPC Academy to develop various education frameworks and structures in order to help the IPC to achieve its strategic priorities. This involved many projects being established with sustainable structures which have gone on to become embedded in the Paralympic Movement. This includes activities across Games management such as the Excellence Programme and Games Campus, NPC development programmes in partnership with the Agitos Foundation, and technical programmes for classifiers and technical officials.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

IPC Academy

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is a unique organisation as the custodian of the Paralympic Games, governs a number of Paralympic Sport disciplines and is governed through a diverse membership of National Paralympic Committees (NPCs), International Federations (IFs) and International Sport Organisation for Disabled (ISODs). In the mid-2000s,the IPC realised that it needed an education partner that understood international sport and could assist it in its future development given its limited resources and small but committed staff headcount.

Over the years, the SAT Sports Leaders Programme has grown in reputation and is recognised as the preeminent sport programme in Thailand open to NF board member/staff and senior SAT leadership. It has now been delivered for over a decade, and due to its success, SAT has further expanded its education offering to the national sport community in Thailand through additional WAoS education programmes and study tours.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

BUSINESS CONTEXT

SAT was looking to identify ways to enhance its national sport federations and better support Thailand’s athletes throughout the mid-2000s given the various international events that were being hosting in the country such as the Summer Universiade. With various projects and major events successfully delivered, SAT recognised areas that could be enhanced and sought to identify a partner which could empower its national sport communities and leverage its international position.

Over a number of years, the programmes engaged and developed the Bahrain sport sector and introduced participants to new and innovative approaches to sport development and management. The BOC also involved the regional sporting bodies and provided opportunities for various countries throughout the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council).

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

WAoS was engaged to identify how such a programme could be effectively implemented throughout the Bahrain sporting sector and enhance the professionalisation of sports locally. Through a detailed analysis, it was identified that a programme pathway for sport administrators would provide the necessary skills development required locally to achieve the overall goals of the BOC. These programmes provided international expertise along with localised content and context to develop individuals from the local club level through to leadership roles in sport.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

Having established a well-defined coaching pathway across Bahrain, the BOC identified a gap in the management of its National Federations (NFs). It embarked on a programme of modernisation to allow common administrative functions to be provided more consistently across NFs in order to allow them to focus on the important aspects of developing their respective sports and athletes.

Resources and courses have now touched all corners of the globe and member associations have been inspired to create opportunities for their communities to play badminton, often for the first time. One endearing story involved badminton representatives in a small nation in Oceania who were initially overwhelmed on the first day of a Player Pathway Programme. However, by the end, they embraced the new ideas and went on to create the nation’s first national championships and junior national championships within months of the programme. This has evolved to a coordinated player pathway from Shuttle Time being delivered in schools through to opportunities for players to compete internationally.

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

The education vision that BWF identified had an immediate resonance with WAoS and we could clearly see how and where we could add value to their programme offering. We progressed a variety of activities focusing on providing programmes that support the development of BWF’s member associations through administration courses and events courses. Additionally, our platform has progressively played a more important role as Shuttle Time and coaching online courses now create blended learning opportunities. These reduce the time spent in face to face workshops and ultimately save resources of member associations due to a reduction in time and space requirements for such courses.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

Over a number of years, BWF had established some key strategic development projects and identified a vision for its development activities in the longer term. Central to this was the creation of Shuttle Time (its worldwide schools programme) and its coaching programmes. It also identified that additional programmes would need to be established which were best served through a partnership approach with WAoS.

• talent pool creation strategies based on ‘end-point’ planning;
• strategies to identify and select athletes into the player pathway;
• talent development strategies with associated KPIs and resource planning;
• talent presentation strategies that ensure players have the greatest chance of success;
• talent retention and engagement strategies;
• support services linked to pathway and player requirements; and
• stakeholder integration and strategies for a shared vision.

Participants should have achieved the following outcomes at the completion of the programme:

• Understand the key elements and inputs required for the development of a performance pathway plan for their organisation.
• Recognise the role of the athlete pathway in underpinning the development of high-performance outcomes for their organisation.
• Create an action plan to underpin the development of a clear, robust and well-articulated performance pathway plan which includes:
  

OUTCOMES

SOLUTION

Overall, the programme not only facilitates understanding behind the approach required to build and manage athlete pathways but also provides a systematic and practical approach to developing a performance pathway plan that enables IFs to work with member associations/ national federations to implement and activate over the following years

Key aspects of programme delivery include:

• Three-day intensive Executive Education style programme.

• Pre-programme preparation, group work during the programme, additional individual planning sessions in evenings, and post-programme plan development.

• Regional delivery utilising region-specific and sport-specific content­.

BUSINESS CONTEXT

The Athlete Pathway Programme provides an appropriate global intervention that can be delivered on a regional basis, with the aim to have more member associations/ national federations aware of the importance of athlete pathways and performance planning. The programme is focussed on empowering member associations/ national federations to understand the key elements in leading and supporting a clear athlete pathway enabled through effective performance pathway planning for their sport/ organisation. Through the identification of short, medium and long-term goals, the programme highlights ways to maximise outputs at each stage of the pathway.

The Athlete Pathway Programme has been delivered across multiple regions and languages for various levels of member associations/ national federations. Partners include BWF, ICC, WCF, World Rugby as well as several open intake programmes.