A UNIVERSITY VIEW
EARLIER this month, the School of Sport & Health Sciences at Cardiff Metropolitan University hosted a delegation from Shandong Sports University (SSU), Ji’nan, Shandong Province, China.
Representatives from Sport Wales, the Football Association of Wales Trust, the Welsh Government’s International Relations Team and Welsh Arts International came together to discuss a range of potential projects – using ‘sport’ as the turnkey for engagement and collaboration.
The event itself was held to mark the re-signing of the Memorandum of Understanding first signed between Cardiff Met and Shandong Sports University last November.
A range of bilateral projects between the two Universities were reviewed and renewed and the institutions agreed to undertake collaborative projects in three areas:
■ The PhD supervision in Cardiff of up to five visiting scholars from Shandong;
■ The delivery of a higher education leadership and management summer training programme in Ji’nan;
■ Collaborative research and joint publications between academics at the Shandong Campus Football Development and Research Center and Cardiff Met’s Sports Coaching Research Group based in Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cyncoed campus.
With Brexit looming, this month’s visit held increased significance because of the potential for developing bilateral cooperation between Wales and Shandong Province, using ‘sport’ to enable collaboration between a much wider range of health, educational, cultural and creative industries.
Shandong is the second most populous province in China with a population of 98 million and is ranked third economically with a GDP of over $1 Trillion US ($1,000,000,000,000). It is also the birthplace of Confucius.
Shandong is a key partner in the Regional Leaders Summit (RLS) - a forum comprising seven regional governments (state, federal state, or provincial), which together represent approximately one hundred eighty million people across five continents. Current members include Bavaria (Germany), Georgia (USA), Québec (Canada), São Paulo (Brazil), Shandong (China), Upper Austria (Austria), and Western Cape (South Africa).
The 2014 RLS hosted in Atlanta, Georgia identified “Leveraging Major Sporting Events for Economic Development” as a key theme because RLS has hosted key sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup. These major occasions have allowed sharing experiences of how sporting events are used to stimulate economic and job growth beyond the scope of the event.
Shandong Province in particular see sport as a major lever for the development of international and trade and industry relations and place significant value on the manufacture of sporting goods, professional sport teams and producing sporting talent.
Cardiff Met’s Vice-Chancellor and President was delighted to host such a renowned sports university and showcase the opportunities that the University, capital city, and Wales as a whole, can offer in the fields of sport and health in both teaching and research.
Some of Wales’ key sport leaders also attended the meeting. Mr Brian Davies, Director of Elite Performance at Sport Wales and The Football Association of Wales Trust’s business development manager, Mr. Nick Davidson indicated plenty of mutual benefits for the future for a range of sports-related organisations which are interested in collaborating in Shandong and other areas of China.
They noted that in sport, Wales’ stock on the international stage has never been higher. They pointed respectively to Wales’ sixth place position in the Commonwealth Games medal table, and semi-final appearances at the Euros and a 0-6 win over China in March, as catalysts that have sparked much interest internationally as to why Wales, with a population of three million and GDP of about $70USbillion, enjoys such sporting success.
Our own university was behind almost 50 athletes and team officials heading down under for this year’s Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Of the 200+ strong Team Wales, 32 members were either current students, graduates or staff at Cardiff Met, including Games Manager Cathy Williams, and a further seven Cardiff Met representatives took part on behalf of other nations.
Cardiff Met was ranked top post1992 institution and 6th in the UK for sport in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its pioneering work in the field of surgical healthcare in 2016.
Key stakeholders assisting in the internationalisation of Welsh Sport are the International Relations Team at the Welsh Government and Wales Arts International (WAI).
WAI’s ongoing work in China and elsewhere has yielded significant cultural and economic benefits for Wales. Their activity in China is informed by the cultural Memorandum of Understanding signed by Chinese Vice-Minister Ding Wei, and Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, Ken Skates, in Cardiff in September 2015, during Vice-Premier Mrs Liu Yandong’s visit to Wales. The MOU was aimed at encouraging partnerships, learning opportunities and exchanges of exhibitions and performers to and from China and Wales.
Shandong Sport University delegates, led by Professor Mao Dewei, the University’s President, were hosted by Bruno Dubois, Team Director of the China-based Dongfong Ocean Race Team at the Volvo Ocean Race Village.
Professor Mao expressed his University’s eagerness to work closely with Cardiff Met and Wales on international partnerships and activities. Cardiff hosts the first group of researchers from Shandong in September and we very much look forward to playing our part.
■ Dr Alun Hardman is Associate Dean (International) at Cardiff Met, who lectures at Cardiff School of Sport & Health Sciences