Since 2014, ANOC has offered scholarships to NOCs to study the Master of Sport Administration (MSA) course at the Russian International Olympic University (ed. – within the ANOC-RIOU partnership to allocate scholarships to high-caliber candidates from NOCs around the world). The scholarships are part of ANOC’s commitment to disseminating best practice among NOCs and providing opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and capacity.
In the July edition of this newsletter, ANOC spoke to some of the most recent ANOC scholars about their experiences. This month, ANOC spoke with ANOC Executive Council member and Paraguay National Olympic Committee President Camilo Perez to understand the NOC perspective and how NOCs benefit from these ANOC scholarships.
How has your NOC benefitted from the ANOC scholarship at the Russian International Olympic University?
Our NOC has grown a lot in the last nine years. Without a doubt, the turning point was in 2017 with the inauguration of our Olympic Park. A 102-hectare sports city that houses the administrative offices of our NOC, offices of some Sports Federations, a high performance Gymnasium, a science center applied to sports and spaces for specific sports and multi-sports where more than 20 sports can be practiced. At the same time it has all the infrastructure for regional, continental and even world competitions. The Olympic Park also has a hotel with more than 100 beds and a space where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.
I make this introduction because with this achievement we have attracted countless visits, knowledge exchange programs, sports camps and international competitions to our headquarters. One of the main benefits of our NOC related to the ANOC scholarship was that our scholarship recipient (ed. – RIOU 2017/18 MSA graduate Bruno Sapienza, now working as Senior Advisor to Mr. Perez) arrived exactly as all this was happening. His knowledge acquired and contacts made have been very important to contribute in different approaches to the operational development of the Olympic Park in the last three years.
Has your scholar been able to share his learnings from the course with other members of your NOC?
For six years now, our NOC has been committed to education and offers a Sports Management Course aimed at officials of sports organizations and leaders. Since his arrival, our scholarship recipient is in charge of a Sports Marketing module in this course. At the same time, he always interacts on a day-to-day basis with officials from various areas, whom he is constantly helping with his knowledge acquired in the Masters and already almost five years of work experience in various organizations within the Olympic Movement.
How important do you think Olympic education is for NOC development? Would you recommend to other NOCs to apply for the ANOC scholarships?
I want to answer the last two questions in one go. In such a fast-paced world, where everything moves and changes so fast, staying up-to-date and constantly educating yourself is very important. The Olympic Movement is a lifestyle and a whole world within the world. Having the possibility of accessing an education focused on Olympism is a privilege to train future collaborators and leaders who make up the various organizations within the Olympic Movement. I think it is an extremely important contribution and I am convinced that these opportunities are of great value, so I urge all NOCs to promote education and make use of this great scholarship that is offered by ANOC.
*The news feature is published in the ANOC Newsletter in October 2020
