Follow in the footsteps of Sondos Aboubakr (EGY) and study for a Master of Sport Administration in Sochi (RUS)

For the second consecutive year, one athlete from the UIPM Sports community will be offered the chance to join the next generation of sports professionals by spending a year studying in Sochi (RUS).

The opportunity materialised after UIPM secured a scholarship for the Master of Sport Administration course at the Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) for the year 2021-22. This follows the offer presented by UIPM in 2020 which resulted in Sondos Aboubakr of Egypt being selected to attend the course. 

As with last year, interested athletes should apply through their National Federations to take up the opportunity, which has formed part of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by UIPM and RIOU.

All applications must be received by the closing date of April 5, 2021. 

Speaking from the university campus in Sochi (RUS), Aboubakr (EGY) said: “I’m really glad to be part of this Master of Sport Administration course. It’s a really important part of my career, which will help me develop my skills and become a manager in future.

“I really would recommend everyone to try and strive for this opportunity because it’s a really life-turning experience that helped me get more exposed to more people, more connections and networking, which is really important to keep on growing in the field of sports.

“I’m really looking forward to finishing this programme and to applying it in real life.

“I’m enjoying the experience and it has allowed me to make a lot of new friends. It’s a brand new place and it’s my first time in Sochi – it’s been great to experience the legacy of the Olympic Winter Games 2014 which was held here.”

The MSA at RIOU is regarded as one of the top three postgraduate sport management courses, ranked second in Europe.The selected applicant will receive a full-year scholarship to study at one of the world’s first universities dedicated to sport business education. Travel restrictions permitting, studies will take place offline at the campus in Sochi (RUS) – with a blended offline/online package put in place in case this is not possible.

The scholarship package covers tuition fees, accommodation in a double room in a three-star apartment hotel and a monthly allowance of 10,000 roubles (€121). The student will have to cover other costs such as airfare, medical insurance (17,000 roubles) and diploma (11,000 roubles).

Applicants must:

• Be active UIPM athletes with a UIPM ID registered by the NF (or retired since 2016)
• Have a university degree, preferentially in a sports-related area
• Be proficient in English (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge).

Other criteria for application will be sent via email directly by your National Federation upon request. 

Click here for more information on the MSA programme and to discover life on campus in Sochi (RUS).