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Brunel to host 2012 pre-Games conference

Brunel has successfully led a consortium bid by five UK universities to host the 2012 International Convention on Science, Education and Medicine in Sport (ICSEMIS). The convention is held before each Olympics and is currently under way in Guangzhou, China.

The consortium has been tasked “to inspire a learning legacy“ through sport that will make the spirit of London 2012 endure long after the Games end. Between 3,000 and 5,000 sports educators, specialist researchers and sports practitioners, including Olympic physiotherapists and trainers, are expected to attend the convention, which will be hosted at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) in Glasgow during the build-up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

A varied programme of activities, held in tandem with the convention, will be aimed at building support for sporting and activity lifestyles across the United Kingdom. The central focus of the project is - in line with the aims of London 2012 - to ensure the benefits of sport are spread throughout the UK.

The other universities in the consortium are: Ulster, Liverpool John Moores University, the University of Strathclyde (Scotland), and the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. The consortium also had support from Glasgow City Marketing Bureau (GCMB) and Concorde Services.

Professor Celia Brackenridge, Chair of Youth Sport at Brunel, convenor of the Brunel ICSEMIS 2012 Consortium, said: “Winning the bid is a great privilege and a considerable responsibility. We recognise that we are merely guardians of this event - on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, International Federation of Sports Medicine and International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education.

“The SECC will be an unbeatable venue for this prestigious event just before the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. As a bid team we were always committed to spreading the benefits of the London Games to other parts of the UK and this is what we now plan to do.

“The five university partners in the Consortium will each act as a hub for a regional university network: each of these will develop a programme of activities to engage ordinary members of the public, especially young people, in the wonder and excitement of sport science. Our aim is to 'inspire a learning legacy' that will show the population at large how the sciences, education and medicine in sport can enrich their lives.“

Brunel is well represented at this year's ICSEMIS in China. Dr Vassil Girginov won the best oral presentation on Olympic related work, and Professor Ian Campbell presented an 'invited symposium' on the Nutritional Strategies of Wheelchair Athletes and Paralympics Sport.

Steven Purcell, Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Leader of Glasgow City Council, commented:


“This is another fantastic win for Glasgow and I would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to land this prestigious conference for the city.


“Glasgow's outstanding conference credentials and proud sporting heritage make it the ideal location for this pre-Olympic conference. And, of course, it's an excellent precursor to the Commonwealth Games in 2014.“