- MoU for joint PhD with French Olympic Center and release of Olympic Research book
Gandhinagar, October 22, 2026 Rashtriya Raksha University 'Foundation Program on Safe Sport and Athlete Safeguarding' was started by 'Bharat Center of Olympic Research and Education' (BCORE) working under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Studies Center located at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU).
The inaugural ceremony held on Wednesday, 21 October 2026 was attended by athletes, coaches and sports administrators nominated by National Sports Federations, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), SAI Center and High-Performance Academies. He was also joined by researchers, safeguarding professionals and sports medicine experts. All of them have come together for a three-day resident program (21st to 23rd October 2026) to strengthen the practices of 'Safe Sport' in the Indian sports ecosystem.
The inaugural ceremony also witnessed two other important achievements for BCORE:
University Vice President Dr. along with the 'Olympic Studies and Research Center' (CEROUEN) of the University of Rouen Normandie, France. The MoU was signed in the presence of Philip.
The book 'Olympic Intersections: The Games and the Crossroads of Global Research', published under the chief editorship of renowned economist and Olympic researcher Professor Wolfgang Meining, was released.
'Safe Sport' and athlete safety have been declared as one of the IOC's key strategic priority areas. The program is designed to embed this global priority into India's sporting culture through awareness-raising, international knowledge exchange and experiential learning.
opening ceremony
The ceremony introduced BCORE, presenting the organization's vision and work in the areas of anti-doping education and research, Olympic planning and hosting of mega-sporting events, governance metrics and social heritage. Then Dr., President of the Greece-based 'International Olympic Academy' (IOA), the global center of Olympic education. An inspirational video message from Charilaos Tsolakis was shown.
BCORE Director Dr. Utsav Chhaware outlined the programme, its objectives and the upcoming training journey for the participants. The keynote address on Olympism, athlete-centered sport and the safe sport movement was given by Ms. Rose May, co-founder of 'Safe Sport Philippines' and safe sport advocate.
The ceremony was graced by Singapore's high-performance sports psychologist and CEO of AITF (India) Ms. Sanjana Kiran and medical doctor and sports medicine specialist Dr. Khyati was also present, who is among the experts who led the sessions during these three days. He will be joined by other leaders in the next two days: Ms. Pragya Mohan (Indian Triathlete), Prof. Mary Woessner (Acting Associate Director of IHES, Victoria University of Australia), Ms. Jhanvi Sonakiya (Programme Assistant, Social and Human Sciences, UNESCO), Mr. Kunal (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India), Prof. Michael L. Valan (Assistant Professor, Criminology, Jindal Global Law School), Mr. Ranjit Bajaj (Founder and Director, Minerva Academy Football and Cricket Club).
Participation from all sectors of the sports ecosystem
The event saw active participation from various groups representing every sector of India's sports ecosystem. Athletes, coaches, administrators and support staff from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) including ITBP, CRPF, CISF and SSB as well as Army Sports Institute were present.
Sports Authority of India (SAI) was represented by its centers including NCOE Imphal and NCOE Gandhinagar. While national sports federations and associations like Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, Ice Hockey Association of India and Fencing Association of India also sent their representatives. Representatives from GoSports Foundation, Reliance Foundation Sports and academies of various sports including badminton, gymnastics, table tennis and Kho-Kho participated. Apart from this, the team of Vijayi Bharat Foundation (VBF) and High Performance Director of VBF, Mr. Eric Hollingsworth were also present.
Researchers, academicians and professionals in sports psychology and sports science from organizations like IIT Bombay, BRAC University (Bangladesh), MFP Psychology Consulting and Ahmedabad Education Society also participated.
MoU with French University of Rouen Normandie CEROUEN
The MoU was signed virtually between BCORE, RRU and the Olympic Studies and Research Center (CEROUEN) of the University of Rouen Normandie, France. Established in 2023 and officially recognized by the IOC, CEROUEN is a center dedicated to Olympic research and education. CEROUEN representatives joined online during this agreement, while Dr. Utsav Chhaware had informed the gathering about this partnership.
Release of the book 'Olympic Intersections'
BCORE by Wolfgang Meining, Bimal N. The book 'Olympic Intersections: The Games and the Crossroads of Global Research' edited by Patel, Gaurav Singh Kushwaha and Utsav Chhaware was also released. This book presents the proceedings of India's 'First International Olympic Research Conference' organized by BCORE at RRU from 27 to 30 January 2025.
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