The new academic year commenced on September 19 at the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) in Sochi. The university campus opened its doors to the 2025 intake on RIOU's three flagship courses: the international English-language Master of Sport Administration (MSA), the Russian-language MSA, and Master of Sports Management (MSM). Over the course of the year, students will learn to manage sports facilities, organise events, work with media, master sports diplomacy and digital competencies, acquiring a new qualification as sports managers.
Talking at the opening ceremony, RIOU Rector, full member of the Russian Academy of Education, Professor Lev Belousov said:
“I am delighted to welcome a new cohort of future managers to the Olympic University! Today, athletes well-known across their country are embarking on an exciting journey in sports management. RIOU has always considered them a core audience for its educational programmes. Among the new intake are also coaches, including those from Russian national teams, and specialists from various areas of the sports industry – representing 21 Russian regions in total. The international class includes students from 15 countries across four continents. I hear nearly all of them sharing the same main aspiration: to find a new calling in the sports sphere and master competencies that will allow them to develop their sports, because 'sport doesn't let you go’. And we will be happy to help achieve this goal!"
Many of the students will be supported in their studies by the Russian Olympians Foundation. This year, as part of its "Sodeistvie" (Facilitation) programme, the Foundation provided 34 grants to members of Russian national teams and retired athletes nominated by national sports federations and RIOU's partner sports organisations. The University will offer professional retraining to Russian champions and medallists of various Olympic and Paralympic Games, including London 2012 volleyball champion Yuri Berezhko, PyeongChang 2018 ice hockey gold medallist Bogdan Kiselevich, Russian handball legend Polina Kuznetsova and her teammate from the silver-winning Tokyo 2020 team Olga Fomina – 29 elite Russian athletes in total, holding the titles of Honoured Master of Sport and International-Class Master of Sport.
In addition to career transition for Russian athletes, RIOU courses are designed to provide sports business education to international students. The Master of Sport Administration course will be attended by 23 winners of the prestigious RIOU Scholarship competition from Cameroon, China, The Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Greece, India, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Korea, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The high potential of this year’s intake is confirmed by their experience working in major international sports organisations, and its multicultural composition will create an environment conducive to cultural and knowledge exchange. With the addition of Zambia and Cameroon, RIOU's geographical reach now spans 90 countries. The MSA course will be taught by faculty hailing from 11 countries (China, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, UK, USA, and Venezuela).
The depth of educational programmes is supported by a high-quality learning environment, meeting top international standards. This was confirmed by the University receiving the Healthy Campus certification label from the International University Sports Federation (FISU). Only ten universities in Russia have obtained such recognition. The certificate was presented to RIOU Rector Lev Belousov.
FISU auditor and RIOU lecturer Roman Olkhovsky said:
"Having achieved this status, RIOU is not stopping but moving forward. The audit we are conducting now will take the university to a higher level in the FISU programme in the near future. Only just over 100 universities worldwide hold this label. We assess a wide range of aspects of students’ learning experience, from water quality and nutrition on campus to the effective management of the Healthy Campus programme itself. This is how FISU understands its social mission."
The official part of the opening ceremony continued with the ‘Battle for the Future of the Sports Industry’ – an interactive game based on a strategic analysis of sports development in Russia and practical proposals for its improvement.
The festive day concluded with the already traditional RIOU Olympic Universiade – a fun sports competition, which brought together the new students, faculty, university staff, and alumni from the previous years, who came to support the new cohort.
