Beyond the athletes. Projects in this theme examine how the Olympic and Paralympic Games can be mobilised to improve community health through physical activity participation, education, and public health initiatives.
Fields of expertise
- Public health
- Education and pedagogy
- Media and communication
- Sports medicine
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See below for a selection of active projects in this theme.
Pacific Pathway to Brisbane Games 2032
The aim of the project is to recommend to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) how the Australian Government might support Pacific athletes and teams to participate in the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and other major sporting events such as the Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games. These recommendations will be informed by consulting with Pacific sport stakeholders to design a developmental sport model (i.e., pathway model) that will be highly actionable, inclusive, and culturally responsive. The goal is to explore, within Pacific contexts, different themes debated in the global sport community and identify what are the opportunities, processes, and partnerships that could enrich the structures already in place in Pacific countries.
Researchers
Professor John Cairney, Professor Cliff Mallett, Associate Professor Steven Rynne, Dr Véronique Richard, Dr Kai Wheeler, Dr Dean Dudley (Macquarie University) and Pacific stakeholders.
Partners / Funding
- Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Status
Active (2022 – ongoing)
MobMoves
This project is co-designed with communities to create a culturally safe and culturally responsive program. Physical literacy and physical activity are used to promote emotional literacy through socio-emotional learning and embedded with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing, being and doing. These programs build learning capabilities and improve child development outcomes, to better prepare children for a meaningful life.
Researchers
Dr Kai Wheeler, Emily Hall, Professor Anita Lee Hong (QUT), Professor John Cairney, Professor Murray Phillips
Partners / Funding
- The University of Queensland
Status
Active (2021 – ongoing)
Describing nonverbal interactions that shape the participation experience of children with complex disability during community-based sports program activities
This project investigates how children with complex disabilities communicate during a community-based soccer program. This research contributes to a body of knowledge which lowers barriers to physical activity and sport participation for children with disabilities in Australia. Research participants are 4 to 11 years old, nonverbal or have speaking difficulty, with combinations of physical and non-physical impairments from cerebral palsy, ADHD, and autism. Co-created knowledge will inform practitioner education on implementing program conditions, including those that motivate entry into the program's mainstream/elite development pathways, to facilitate positive participation experiences, encouraging long-term physical activity participation, and improving people with disability's health and wellbeing. Affiliated with Football Australia, the program's practitioners provide regular sports-training-based mobility sessions, competitive social football matches, and a coached elite pathway that has included several Pararoos and other Paralympic representatives.
Researchers
Partners / Funding
Status
Active
TBC