Professor Richard Giulianotti has been appointed as Loughborough University’s UNESCO Chair in Sport, Physical Activity and Education for Development.
Prof Giulianotti will now lead a team based primarily in the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences to further advance knowledge and strengthen policy and practice in how sport, physical activity and education may be used most effectively for development purposes.
Launched by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in 1992, there are now over 850 Chairs worldwide.
The Chair will work with UNESCO to harness sport, physical activity and education in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, notably with respect to good health and wellbeing, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, reducing inequalities, and climate action.
More broadly, the Chair has the opportunity to engage with UNESCO and its diverse partners on developing policy and practice in relation to sport, physical activity and education. The team will also collaborate with fellow UNESCO Chairs in sport and other relevant fields.
“Sport, physical activity and education are vital aspects of modern societies throughout the world and are being utilised in creative ways for development purposes, particularly with young people in the global South,” commented Professor Giulianotti.
“The team at Loughborough University are committed to making a major contribution to this global field of activity, through research, teaching, partnerships with key stakeholders such as local communities and policy-makers, and international collaborations with fellow researchers and students.”
Colleagues from Loughborough will also work closely with UNESCO to achieve its key strategic goals.
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 22/29
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2021 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year for Sport by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2022, and 10th in both the Guardian University League Table 2022 and the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
