UCLan shares prestigious joint Unesco sports position with Qatar

The Larnaca-based British University of Cyprus promotes social responsibility in sports with a joint leadership of Unesco chair on governance and social responsibility in sport.

The Cyprus campus of the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) has a joint leadership of the Unesco chair, with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) in Qatar, a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), that was founded in 2010 as a research-intensive university.

The Unesco chair aims to promote strong governance principles and social responsibility in sports, fostering a culture of transparency, accountability, inclusiveness and respect.

Under the joint leadership, on behalf of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the founder of the chair, Dr Christos Anagnostopoulos, who is a world-renowned scholar in sport management, will continue to serve as the director of the chair, and co-chair this prestigious Unesco programme with Dr Efstathios Christodoulides, a distinguished scholar and lead of the BSc in sport and exercise science programme at UCLan Cyprus.

This collaboration strengthens the relationship between UCLan Cyprus and HBKU, aiming to inspire the wider sports movement to enhance the quality of governance practices and social responsibility activities.

UCLan Cyprus rector, Professor Irene Polycarpou, expressed her enthusiasm for the joint leadership status, saying it “can be the vehicle that connects the two institutions”. It also serves as the common denominator towards strengthening links between research, teaching, and practice at national, regional and international levels, she explained. Polycarpou also emphasised that sport transcends boundaries, cultures and personal beliefs, and can unite individuals and nations, as well as foster a spirit of international cooperation.

Through this joint leadership, UCLan Cyprus aims to leverage its expertise and contribute to the chair’s objectives, aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The chair will facilitate capacity building for education, research, policy-making and dissemination, with a focus on partnerships for sustainable development.

This collaboration represents a remarkable achievement, placing UCLan Cyprus and HBKU at the forefront of global efforts to promote responsible governance in sports. By working together, the two institutions strive to make a lasting impact on the sports community, fostering positive change and social integration.

The launch event for the commencement of the partnership between the two universities was held on June 12 in Doha.