Salford Academic Takes On Olympic Task

Tuesday 13 January 2015

An academic from the University of Salford has been chosen to lead a prestigious online course in sports and media run by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Professor Andy Miah, who was made the new Chair in Science Communication and Future Media at the University of Salford in October last year, has launched the IOC’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Sport and the Media.

The course is free to access and is designed to guide athletes towards a career in the media after they conclude their life in competition. They will have the opportunity to learn from leading media professional’s including the IOC’s Heads or Media Operations Anthony Edgar, ABC Broadcaster Tracey Holmes, world-renowned photographer Nick Didlick and video journalist Yuval Lion.

Further to the insightful lectures, participants will hear from Olympic medalists Michael Johnson, Colin Jackson CBE and Jonathan Edwards MBE as they talk about their successful transition into a media career and listen to the unique perspectives of broadcasters, photographers, producers and video journalists about the fast paced and competitive nature of the sporting media.

Subjects covered include broadcasting, writing, photography, video journalism, corporate communications, social media, and future media developments.

Professor Miah filmed for the MOOC at the University of Salford’s MediaCityUk campus and at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games while acting as the social media mentor for the IOC’s Young Reporters programme.

Professor Miah said ‘The course is a pioneering effort in athlete education, reaching out to the 205 Olympic nations and bringing them into a world where they can hear from the best in the profession. We want athletes to understand how producing sports media can change the world, make history and show them how our relationship to the media has changed in an era of social media.”

Professor Miah’s research engages with the aesthetic, ethical, cultural and policy issues arising from emerging technology. He is a member of the Scottish Government Ministerial Advisory Group for Digital Participation, which oversees the implementation of Scotland’s Digital Charter. He has published around 120 academic articles in refereed journals, books, e-zines and the national and international press.

His work also includes:

· International Amateur Athletic Federation Social Media mentor for athletes (2014);

· London 2012 Social Media Impact study (2012).

· News Media Coalition, member of expert group on social media (2014);

· European Commission member of inquiry into Digital Futures (2012);

· Author of ‘The Olympic Movement and New Media’ (Russian, 2014)

For further information or to sign up for the IOC’s MOOC’s click here