SEOUL, June 23 (AJP) - Protecting athletes and crowds from physical harm during major international sporting events is a growing global priority. To meet this critical need, the Asia Olympic Academy at Kookmin University and the Sports Safety Foundation have agreed to jointly research venue risk management and train professional safety staff, the university said Monday.
Conventional sports management programs have historically focused on event marketing, ticket sales, and athletic performance, often leaving crowd security and accident prevention to outside contractors. This new partnership shifts that standard by treating physical safety as a core academic subject. Rather than teaching students how to react after an incident happens, the updated curriculum will train future sports administrators to analyze field data and design policies that prevent hazards before events begin.
Kookmin University (KMU) said that a joint signing ceremony was held on June 19, at the university's main administration building in Seoul. Under the agreement, the Asia Olympic Academy (AOA) and the Sports Safety Foundation (SSF) will expand their educational cooperation to link international sports administration directly with safety standards. The two organizations plan to host joint academic conferences aimed at improving safety policies in South Korea and abroad. They will also build a shared database of past sports accidents and research materials to help identify practical safety solutions for workers in the field.
The initiative is designed to move away from theoretical study and focus on practical skills that can be applied immediately in sports venues. By combining the academic resources of KMU with the field experience of the SSF, the program aims to prepare students for sudden changes in the global sports environment.
"Sports safety is an essential element for the sustainable development of sports," AOA Director Na Chang-soon said, adding: "Taking this agreement as an opportunity, we will actively link the expertise and networks held by both institutions to foster professional talent who can lead the international sports and sports safety sectors, and further expand our educational and research cooperation."
SSF Chairman Park Jang-soon emphasized the broader impact of the agreement on the global athletic community. "It is very meaningful to cooperate with the Asia Olympic Academy at Kookmin University, which is a center for nurturing professional talent in the international sports sector. Through this cooperation, we expect sports safety to spread further as a core value across the international sports field," Park said.
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