Olympics - IOC to grant PhD scholarships |24 June 2016

Students interested in engaging in scholarly research on the Olympic movement, its history and ideals, and the impact of the Olympic Games on the various aspects of contemporary society and culture will benefit from a scholarship being granted by the International Olympic Committee.

The aim of the programme is to encourage PhD students to undertake doctoral research with a humanities or social sciences perspective on the Olympic phenomena.

As part of this grant programme, the Olympic Studies Centre introduced in 2015 a new grant category specifically aimed at PhD students whose research is focused on topics of interest for the National Olympic Committees (NOCs). For this specific category, the Olympic Solidarity, through its Olympic education, culture and legacy programme will offer a limited number of scholarships. The successful applicants will benefit from a scholarship of maximum US $8,000 and, when appropriate, gain access to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) historical archives, library and image archives. All applicants for this new scholarship must be supported by a NOC.

The next scholarships will be offered in 2017 and applications must be submitted no later than September 30, 2016. Candidates must complete the official application forms following the instructions given in the programme guidelines and submit their application by email to: studies.centre_grants@olympic.org. 

Meanwhile, the NOC supporting the candidate for the scholarship must submit a signed letter of support written on the institutional letterhead. This letter must be sent to the Olympic Studies Centre by email coming directly from the NOC -- it may not be submitted by the applicant.

All applications will be examined by a selection committee consisting of world-renowned experts on Olympic studies and by representatives of the Olympic Studies Centre. Decisions are based on the quality of the application file, the significance and originality of the proposed research, the feasibility of the project and the candidate’s ability to carry out the research satisfactorily.

The selection committee will submit candidates to be considered for the special NOC-grant, and the final selection will be made by Olympic Solidarity, taking into consideration additional factors such as continental balance, potential benefits for the NOC and the national sports movement and the NOC’s utilisation of Olympic Solidarity’s Olympic Education, Culture and Legacy programme.

Those interested in applying for the scholarship should contact the Seychelles Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (Socga) on 4671215 or go directly to their offices at Stad Linite, Roche Caïman.

S. N.