Monthly Archive for April, 2011

Announcing Plenary Speaker Dr Keith Gilbert for the 2012 Sport and Society Conference

Published on April 29, 2011 in Conference and Newsletter. 0 Comments

We are pleased to announce that Dr Keith Gilbert will be joining us for the 2012 Sport and Society Conference in London.

Dr. Keith Gilbert is a Professor in the School of Health & Bioscience at the University of East London and Director of the Centre for Disability, Sport & Health. He researches in the area of sport sociology [which includes opening up many areas of research innovation] and disability of sport and has a strong interest in qualitative, interpretive and narrative research methodologies. He has numerous publications and has edited several books in the broad areas of sport, sociology, cultural studies, environment and disability.

Dr. Gilbert has written over 55 published research articles. He has been an Executive Board Member of the International Council of Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and is currently on the publications Board of (ICSSPE). He has won university awards for teaching and also professional development and given numerous keynote conference presentations. Dr. Gilbert has several PhD students working across different areas of sport and society. His own current research interests include the exploration of the sociological dimensions of sport, sport and the environment, legacy and Paralympic research. Professor Gilbert is chief editor of the International Journal of Sport in Society and he has two book series one in the area of Disability and Sport and the other in the broad area of Sport in Society. Professor Gilbert was also the organiser and chair of a conference on Sport in Society with the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in March 2010 between the Winter Olympics and Paralympics and will continue the Sport and Society conferences in Kolkata 2011 and Cambridge 2012.

For more information regarding our plenary speakers, please visit our website.

Football as Before

Published on April 29, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

By Dushko Petrovich, n+1.  This piece first appeared at Paper Monument

Zinadine Zidane: If you want my shirt so badly, I’ll give it to you after the game.
Marco Materazzi: I’d prefer your sister’s.

Before he became famous for headbutting, Zinadine Zidane was actually known for his composure. At Bordeaux, Juventus, and Real Madrid, his hallmarks as a midfielder were Spartan efficiency of movement, incisive passing, and magnetic control of the ball in tight circumstances. Unlike Pele or Maradona (the greats who came before him) and Chrisiano Ronaldo (probably the most outstanding player since), Zidane wasn’t particularly flashy. When France won the ’98 World Cup, he didn’t even score until the final, against Brazil, when he converted two corner kicks with unfussy, short-range headers to make it 2-0 by halftime. He was known to complete the occasional 360-degree turn, and he did have some smart footwork, but overall, he was more metronome than drum solo. His way of controlling the game was to control—and then suddenly change—the tempo.

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Bicycling: A Way of Life

Published on April 25, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

From the Economist. Print edition of  “The Bicycle Book,” By Bella Bathurst, Harper Press

FROM mountain bikers to BMXers to racers, couriers to commuters, the bike epitomises a way of life for millions of people. There are more than a billion bicycles in the world — more than twice the number of cars — and the bike has regularly proven to be the fastest form of urban transport, reaching its destination more quickly than cars, buses, tubes or pedestrians.

Bella Bathurst made her name writing about the lighthouses built by the ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson. Her joyful freewheel through the world of bicycles and the people who ride them not only affirms her as an elegant chronicler of quirky subjects, but fills a gap in a pantheon of cycling literature that brims with route guides, sports science manuals, biographies and instruction books.

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Professor Keith Gilbert on Philanthropic Support for Olympic Legacy Research at UEL

Published on April 19, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

Professor Keith Gilbert talks about the role of philanthropic support on creating a research legacy.

Mutai and Keitany Secure Kenyan London Marathon Double

Published on April 19, 2011 in News and Newsletter. 0 Comments

By Jessica Creighton, BBC Sport
Emmanuel Mutai an Mary Keitany completed a Kenyan double as they won the men’s and women’s races at the London Marathon on Sunday.

Mutai raced to a London record of two hours four minutes and 39 seconds, while Keitany won in 2:19.19, the fourth fastest women’s marathon ever.

In the men’s race Martin Lel sprinted to second place ahead of Patrick Makau as Kenyans filled the top three spots.

Russian defending champion Liliya Shobukhova was the women’s runner-up.

Mutai told BBC Sport: “My dreams have come true, the day has come for me. My aim was just to win the race, I was not focusing on the time.

“I’m happy with the result, since I came to run in London, I was fourth twice and second once. It’s a fantastic achievement for me personally.”

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