- Luxembourg turns to India’s BCORE for expertise in shaping its national Olympic values education programme
- IOC-recognised centre at Rashtriya Raksha University represents Asia at international academic workshop in Greece
- Indian experience to inform Luxembourg’s ambitious school initiative, ‘De Léiw an Dir’ (The Lion Within You)
- BCORE showcases its work spanning Olympic research, athlete welfare, Safe Sport, anti-doping and global partnerships
- Ahmedabad may emerge as the starting point for translating international Olympic education lessons into Indian schools
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
GANDHINAGAR, NOV 10
India’s growing contribution to the global Olympic education movement has received an international endorsement, with Luxembourg turning to Gujarat-based Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education (BCORE) to share its experience and expertise in developing a national programme that seeks to take Olympic values into classrooms. The invitation places India’s emerging Olympic education model on an international academic platform, while opening new avenues for adapting global best practices to Indian schools as the country advances its sporting ambitions.
The Luxembourg Olympic and Sports Committee (COSL), in collaboration with Luxembourg’s Ministry of Education, Children and Youth (MENJE/SCRIPT), has invited BCORE, functioning under the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Olympic Studies Centre at Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), along with regional experts, to an International Academic and Educational Workshop on Olympic Education. The four-day workshop was held from November 3 to 6, 2026, in Athens and Olympia, Greece.
Representing India and bringing the Asian perspective to the international deliberations is Dr Utsav Chaware, Director, BCORE. The invitation recognises BCORE’s work in Olympic education and research and its efforts to connect academic scholarship, sporting institutions and grassroots educational initiatives.
The workshop is designed to support Luxembourg’s national Olympic values education programme, De Léiw an Dir (The Lion Within You), an ambitious initiative aimed at embedding Olympic values sustainably into the country’s education system.
Luxembourg’s classrooms to become a nursery of Olympic values
Developed by COSL in cooperation with MENJE/SCRIPT, De Léiw an Dir seeks to integrate Olympic values into the educational journey of young people through scientifically grounded teaching concepts, practice-oriented learning materials and internationally informed teacher-training programmes.
Recognising that a sustainable national programme must draw upon tested international experience, the workshop has brought together academics, education specialists and teaching professionals from different regions.
Among the experts are Prof. Dr Konstantinos Georgiadis, Dean of the International Olympic Academy (IOA), and Spyros Avgoustis, Pedagogical Adviser to the National Olympic Academy of Greece.
The deliberations examine Pierre de Coubertin’s educational philosophy and its continuing relevance to contemporary values-based education, with particular emphasis on respect, tolerance, fair play, friendship and excellence.
Participants are also exchanging experiences on successful regional approaches, implementation challenges and the integration of academic research with classroom practice. Collaborative work on teaching materials and teacher-training programmes is expected to contribute directly to the rollout of Luxembourg’s national initiative in schools.
BCORE brings India’s diverse Olympic experience to the global table
BCORE’s participation provides an opportunity to present how Olympic education can be adapted to India’s diverse cultural, social and educational landscape.
Dr Chaware will share the university-led model developed at Rashtriya Raksha University, which works in collaboration with the National Olympic Committee and national sports federations to design and deliver conferences, educational initiatives, athlete welfare programmes and research.
Established in June 2024, BCORE has expanded its activities across academic research, community engagement, athlete welfare and international cooperation in a relatively short period.
Its initiatives include two editions of the International Olympic Research Conference, bringing international scholars, practitioners and Olympians to India to deliberate on issues relevant to a country aspiring to host the Olympic Games. The conference proceedings have also been published internationally.
Beyond academic engagement, BCORE has taken Olympic values into the public domain through large-scale participation initiatives promoting fitness, inclusion and safe sporting practices.
It has also led national programmes on Safe Sport and athlete safeguarding, alongside research and educational initiatives on anti-doping, in collaboration with sports federations, armed forces sports bodies and high-performance academies.
Its partnerships with Olympic studies centres, universities and Olympian-led academies in India and overseas, complemented by student internships and academic exchanges, are providing young people with direct exposure to the wider sporting ecosystem.
Athens and Olympia lessons may find a home in Indian schools
The international exchange is expected to have a practical follow-through in India, with BCORE planning to adapt the learning, teaching materials and teacher-training approaches examined in Greece to Indian educational conditions.
A school-level Olympic values education programme is envisaged, beginning in Ahmedabad, with the objective of taking the principles of Olympism beyond universities and specialised sporting institutions and into classrooms.
This initiative assumes particular significance as India strengthens its ambitions to host major international sporting events, including a prospective Olympic Games.
The larger challenge is not merely to build sporting infrastructure or organise world-class competitions, but to cultivate a generation that understands and practises the values underpinning sport. Fair play, respect, friendship, inclusion and excellence must become part of the educational foundation long before the opening ceremony of any major sporting event.
Dr Utsav Chaware, Director, BCORE, said:
“This invitation is a recognition of what BCORE and Rashtriya Raksha University have been building over the last two years. Olympic education cannot simply be copied from one country to another; it has to be adapted to local culture and needs. We are going to Athens and Olympia to share India’s experience, to learn from regions that have already walked this path and faced these challenges, and to bring back what works for our schools, our universities and our research.”
BCORE: Building India’s Olympic knowledge ecosystem
Established in June 2024 at Rashtriya Raksha University, the Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education is India’s and South Asia’s first Olympic Studies Centre recognised by the International Olympic Committee.
Since its inception, BCORE has been engaged in disseminating IOC initiatives, advancing interdisciplinary research, promoting sport governance studies and strengthening international academic cooperation within the Olympic framework.
Through its national and international partnerships, the centre is working to advance Olympism, strengthen sporting excellence and build India’s knowledge ecosystem in Olympic studies and sports governance.
Rashtriya Raksha University: Expanding the horizons of academic excellence
Rashtriya Raksha University is an institution of national importance established under the Rashtriya Raksha University Act, 2020, functioning under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Under the leadership of Vice-Chancellor Professor Bimal N. Patel, the university has expanded its academic portfolio beyond traditional security studies to include sports research, Olympic education and advanced forensic sciences.
BCORE’s international engagement in Greece adds another dimension to RRU’s growing academic and global outreach, positioning Olympic education as an important bridge between research, public engagement and the future of Indian sport.