The Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) has announced winners of its international scholarship competition 'RIOU Scholarship' for the 2025/2026 academic year.
Twenty-four recipients from 16 countries across four continents will enroll in RIOU’s Master of Sport Administration (MSA) course. The RIOU student body now represents 90 countries, welcoming students from Zambia, Cameroon and Tanzania for the first time.
The competition winners include graduates of leading universities with outstanding academic records. Among them are internationally acclaimed athletes, coaches, university sports ambassadors, employees of government ministries, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and universities, club managers, UNESCO volunteers, and sports journalists. Many have experience in organising international sports tournaments and are recipients of prestigious student awards.
RIOU extends its gratitude to its partners for their support in organising the competition: the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Hanuman Vyayam Prasarak Mandal sports university (H.V.P.M., India), the National Sports University of India, and the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports (CUPES, Beijing).
We congratulate the winners and look forward to welcoming them in the new academic year!
Recipients of the RIOU scholarships in academic year 2025/2026:
- Agrawal Ishan
- Biyu Liu
- Dadzie Priscilla
- Garg Aakanksha
- Golubchikov Yaroslav
- Kamzenov Aibek
- Khan Junaid
- Khumukcham George
- Kimaro Nance Anord
- Leon Herrera Monica Marina
- Mdlongwa Awakhiwe Geraldine
- Mungufeni Jonathan
- Mutesi Nasiimu
- Nechepurenko Julia
- Nketia Emmanuel
- Ntelmpizis Apostolos
- Ntoh Clifford Chibendah
- Omokukpo Moses Etana
- Park Seung Bin
- Sey Alasan
- Shah Altaf Hussain
- Sizyakova Polina
- Tembo Anita
- Xu Jiaqi
The 'RIOU Scholarships' competition has established itself as one of the most prestigious scholarship programmes in sports management globally. Recipients study on the university’s flagship Master of Sport Administration (MSA) course, consistently ranked among the top sport management programmes in Europe and worldwide. Since 2013, scholarships have been provided to 220 individuals. RIOU alumni lead national sports councils and ministries, develop professional, university, and youth sports, represent their countries internationally on behalf of NOCs and other sports organisations, and implement their own projects within the sports industry.
