Field Research Report
Sao Paolo, Brazil September 8-11, 2016
Athens, Greece September 12-14 2016
Olympism for Humanity Sustainable Academic
Innovation LegacyOctober 2016

Sustainable Academic Legacy Foundation
Sustainable Academic Legacy

Alexis Lyras, PhD
Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS)
Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBATABLE OF CONTENTSOVERVIEW ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
FIELD TRIP PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES ......................................................................................................... 3
AGENCIES REACHED AND COLLABORATED WITH ...................................................................................... 5
SUSTAINABLE ACADEMIC LEGACY INNOVATION RATIONALE ............................................................... 5SELECTED PICTURES FROM THE FIELD TRIP ............................................................................................... 7OVERVIEWIn September 2016, I had the opportunity to conduct a two-weeks long research-based
field trip in Sao-Paolo and Athens. The first days of this trip, the chairman of TIAS and othercolleagues joined the first stage of this venture- with meetings, presentations and sitevisits. During this trip we have reached out to more than 500 hundred students, faculty andsport practitioners from universities in Sao Paolo and Governing bodies, Sport Agencies,
Secondary School, Japanese-Brazilian Community, National and International Olympic
Bodies and sport clubs. Additionally, during my field trip in Athens, I met with officers andthe president of the International Olympic Academy and the Panellinios GS. The purpose of
these meetings was to set the foundation for further research and stakeholder engagement
and to embrace endeavors towards the implementation of scholarship and field work thatcan contribute to the establishment of a Sustainable Olympism for Humanity Academic
Legacy. All of the agencies we have interacted with, have a leading role in the local,
national and international olympism, sport, peacebuilding and sustainable development
enterprise.
The ultimate purpose of these meetings, workshops and presentations, both in Greece andBrazil, was to build synergies and conduct needs assessment mapping of local needs,
challenges and capabilities towards the establishment of Applied Olympic Education Hubs
(Olympism for Humanity Praxis Hubs). These efforts are part of the Sustainable Academic
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Innovation Legacy Goals and Vision. A detailed outline of findings will be published at
International academic journals- and serve at the same time- as foundations for evidencebased long term and sustainable academic entrepreneurship programming, globalsummits, exchange programs as outlined in the posited mission. All these efforts aim toprovide a solid and tangible foundation for an action plan with specified outcomes, further
support mechanisms and added value to the TIAS vision, 2020 Tokyo Games and SFTendeavors. Below you can find details about the purpose of the trip as well as the rationaleof and the vision of this endeavor. I sincerely thank TIAS staff and colleagues for thesupport and for making this possible as well as all the colleagues and allies of this venture.
This is only the first step of many more that will follow towards the regeneration of a
Humanitarian Academic Legacy Olympiad.
The framework and vision of this effort, was initially presented at a keynote address last May inAncient Olympia during the 13th Joint International Session for Presidents and Directors of
National Olympic Academies and Officials of National Olympic Committees- at the International
Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia Greece (Lyras, 2016). Attached you can find the in press
manuscript related document. Through our field visit in Brazil and Greece we wanted todemonstrate- in practice, our commitment to this vision (Lyras, 2016).

FIELD TRIP PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this field trip were to:•

Conduct research and get familiar with the existing Olympic Education and CulturalEnrichment Programs in primary, secondary and tertiary educational systems•

Engage local community agents to reflect on the impact and existing landscape of
the Rio Games•

Understand existing local needs and challenges (urban design, social andcommunity challenges)•Establish close relationship with local stakeholders and a create an action plan for3Olympism for Humanity Sustainable Academic Innovation Legacy, Dr. Alexis Lyras © October 2016

potential collaborations and exchange programs between the Japan, Greece andBrazil 2020•

Organize site visits to universities for related lectures and discussions (2-3 hour
Olympism for Humanity Restoration, Resilience and Entrepreneurship workshop,discussion and training)•Implement an Olympism For Humanity Praxis Symposium on Restoration andEntrepreneurship, with invited key and selected academicians, students andeducators for a symposium for panel discussion and workshops•Conduct working breakfast and/or dinner with key local stakeholders and potential
donors from Sao Paolo, Japanese and Hellenic Community to discuss the possibilityof establishing exchange programs.
o 2017 Sustainable Academic Legacy Summit and Praxis Summer
Program in Ancient Olympia
o 2017 Spring 2020+ Programs, Scholarship and Events in Local
communities ( Sao Paolo, Athens, Thessaloniki, Tsukuba, Nicosia, Urbana
Champaign, New Delhi)
o 2017 & 2018 Sustainable Academic Legacy Programs, Praxis trainingand Site visit in Japan (Tohoku, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Tsukuba)

Sao Paolo Field trio purpose: Implementation of a week-long visit to establish the first
Brazilian HUB on applied Olympism for Humanity Regeneration Enterprises.
Athens Field Trip Purpose: Implementation of three-day site visit to renew the interest
and close collaboration of joined programs between the Panellinios (the birthplace of themodern Olympic Games) and the International Olympic Academy.

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AGENCIES REACHED AND COLLABORATED WITH
During this field trip I reached out to more that 500 students, officers, practitioners andfaculty from the following institutions:
1. Faculdades Metropolitanas Unidas (FMU)
2. University Anhembi-Morumbi
3. Panatthlon
4. Olympism for Humanity Alliance, Inc.
5. Center of Olympic Research and Education at the University of Tsukuba
6. Fedeesp
7. Federal Council of Physical Education
8. Brazilian Athletics Confederation
9. International Olympic Academy
10. Panellinios GS
SUSTAINABLE ACADEMIC LEGACY INNOVATION RATIONALE
Scope: Establish a world-wide academic Applied Olympic Education Eco-system(Olympism for Humanity University Nexus- O4HU), committed to the Regeneration of a
Human-centered Olympiad of Resilience, Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship.
Rationale: The most recent efforts of establishing Olympic Education and Cultural
Enrichment related Legacies, have failed to build a unifying and sustainable mechanismwith ongoing commitment on the restoration of the foundations that embrace prosperity,
resilience and transcendence of the humankind. Meanwhile, a number of agencies arecurrently implementing Olympic Education programs that are linked with Olympic andParalympic Values, Olympism in Action, Physical and Adapted Education outcomes, Sportfor Peacebuilding and the United Nations Sustainable development goals. Many of theseefforts are limited to cognitive, physical and social educational outcomes and most of themluck a unifying theme across disciplines, institutions, time and space. Most importantly,
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most of these efforts have deviated from the essence of the ancient Olympic idea and theOlympiad philosophy, a concept where each agency is demonstrating their fieldcommitment to the Olympic values before and after each Olympic and Paralympic Gamesand in places that are affected by natural or manmade disasters. The Olympism forHumanity Restoration Enterprise aims to embrace the 2030 Sustainable Development
Agenda and IOC president’s 20+20 vision by serving as an academic endeavor committed
to this manifestation. This venture will embrace the establishment of worldwide, yearlong
and sustainable Applied Olympic Education: Olympism for Humanity and Sustainable
Society Programs with the following Academic Ecosystem Legacy Foundations:•O4H Restoration of Integrity and Integration of the ancient Olympic eco-systemand ecology in the modern world: Uncover the interdisciplinary context of theAncient Olympic and Crown Games. Embrace Oneness of Human-Athlon Civilization,
Technology and Science. Create cultural Enrichment and Urban design bridges withscience, Humanity, innovation and prosperity in the modern world.
o #1 Ancient Olympic Virtues Context Essentials: Human-centered AncientCivilization to Modern•

O4H Regeneration and Preservation of Global Humanitarian Heritage AcrossCultures: Establish universal virtues and collective wisdom bridges between East andWest, North and South, time and space.
o #2 Virtue Bridges across Civilizations: East-West Collective wisdom,virtues and Heritage•O4H

Revitalizationofcommunity

resilienceinnovation

andsocialentrepreneurship: Olympism and Applied Olympic Education tailored to local
challenges and context. Local Action and Investments in social, cultural andeducational capital for sustainable, humane and creative communitieso #3 Virtue-based community re-engineering: Social Entrepreneurship,
Human Virtues and Theory into Practice, Hunan-centered local action,
resilience and sustainable development
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SELECTED PICTURES FROM THE FIELD TRIP

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