Waseda University Global COE Program: Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life

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The Waseda University Global COE Program, "Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life", was selected as one of nine new Global COE programs in interdisciplinary, combined fields or new disciplines. Waseda University has a tradition of producing great athletes amongst its graduates, such as Mikio Oda, the first Japanese ever to win an Olympic gold medal, and Shizuka Arakawa, the gold medalist in figure skating. Moreover, graduates from many fields hold central roles in the realm of sport in Japan, contributing actively to its overall development. It was in this context that, in 2003, the School of Sport Sciences was established. Consequently, Waseda University now conducts the practical application of coaching techniques based on fundamental research findings from sport sciences, provides athletes with medical care utilizing leading-edge sport medicine, and formulates management strategies that combine these elements. This has led to our strong tradition of sports-based research - what we like to call ‘Waseda Sports’ - enjoying unprecedented levels of success. This success is the result of a fusion between tradition and new sport sciences, and we are justly proud of it.

2006 saw the establishment of the Waseda University Graduate School of Sports Sciences, which has made possible the development of education and research into sports sciences at the very highest level in a diverse array of fields, going beyond the boundaries of traditional academic science. In 2008, the first ten students ever to gain a doctoral degree in Sports Science at Waseda University completed their courses. The new Global COE will build upon this nascent success, focusing on the construction of an international hub of education and research specifically designed to foster talented researchers equipped with both outstanding levels of specialist knowledge and a broad understanding and awareness of the diverse world of sports.

Without strong integration between research and the sports field, the sport sciences are meaningless. The new Global COE has identified three strategic project themes in order to ensure that this is the case. It is hoped that, through the development of strategically focused projects, the COE Program will be able to offer pertinent and practical solutions to some of the many problems that affect the mental and physical health of people today. Moreover, the COE Program will be proactive in seeking out mature graduate students who are returning to higher education after a period of work, thereby making a meaningful contribution to the formation of academic careers for specialists active in the practical domain of sports (in other words, encouraging those persons with high levels of practical experience to utilize that knowledge in the pursuit of academic research).

On behalf of everyone who is part of the Global COE Program, I would like to extend my thanks for your support and cooperation.

Kazuyuki KANOSUE
Program Leader, Global COE Program
"Sport Sciences for the Promotion of Active Life"

The Global COE (Centers of Excellence) program of Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology provides funding support for establishing education and research centers that perform at the apex of global excellence to elevate the international competitiveness of Japanese universities. The program will strengthen and enhance the education and research functions of graduate schools, in order to foster highly creative young researchers capable of going on to become world leaders in their respective fields, having experienced and practiced research at the highest of world standards.

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