Rafaela Tripalo invites us all to an event organised by University of Westminster’s Sustainable Cities and the Urban Environment Research Community, as she believes it might interest us. Please do feel free to share with anyone you think might be interested!
Join us online on the 14th November (1300-1430 GMT), in the week running up to the Qatar World Cup, to discuss the sustainability of mega-events. Hear from some of the world’s leading researchers on this topic to discuss whether the notion of a sustainable mega-event is an oxymoron, or whether these events can be aligned with sustainable urbanism. Speakers include Professor Martin Muller (University of Lausanne) who has published some of the most important research on the (un)sustainability of mega-events; plus Professor Eleni Theodoraki (University College Dublin), and Dr. Mahfoud Amara (Qatar University) who will discuss the sustainability of the Qatar World Cup drawing on perspectives from the transnational network involved in organising it. This online event also features Dr. Rutendo Musikavanhu (University of Westminster) who has published research on the South Africa 2010 World Cup, and will be chaired by Professor Andrew Smith (University of Westminster).
Speakers
Mahfoud Amara is Associate Professor in Sport Management and Social Sciences at Qatar University. Before joining Qatar University he worked at the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University (2003-2015). In 2012 he published a book on “Sport Politics and Society in the Arab World” and has coedited two books “Sport in Islam and in Muslim Communities” (with Alberto Testa, Routledge, 2015); and “Sport in the African World” (with John Nauright, Routledge, 2018). He is also the editor of “the Olympic Movement and the Middle East and North Africa Region” (Routledge, 2020).
Martin Müller is a professor at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He is a human geographer working on the (un)sustainability of mega-events such as the Olympic Games and the Football World Cups. He has established the world’s largest database on the sustainability and outcomes of the Olympics and the World Cup since 1960. His most influential publications include ‘An evaluation of the sustainability of the Olympic Games’ (Nature Sustainability). Find out more here.
Rutendo Musikavanhu is a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader on the MA Event Design and Management MA Tourism courses at the University of Westminster. Prior to joining Westminster, she was a Senior Lecturer and Course Director on the Civil Service Leadership education programme and a Lecturer and Course Director in Sport and Event Management at Coventry University. Rutendo undertook her doctoral studies at Bournemouth University: her thesis focused on community support for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In addition to her academic work, Rutendo has experience of working in Switzerland, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Eleni Theodoraki is a Professor of Sport Management in UCD’s School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science. She completed her PhD at Loughborough University in 1996 and her subsequent academic career has involved lectureships at De Montfort University 1995-1996, Loughborough University 1996-2008, and an associate professorship at Edinburgh Napier University 2008-2020. Between 2010-2013 Eleni served as commissioner in the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012 and she recently published work (co-written with Andrew O’Rourke) on the sustainability strategy for the Qatar World Cup.
To sign up, please follow this link.
The event will be held online. If you have any additional questions, please do get in touch!
Rafaela Tripalo
Research Communities Facilitator
Research and Knowledge Exchange Office
University of Westminster
309 Regent Street
London W1W 6XH
E: tripalr@westminster.ac.uk
T: 02035064738
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