Olympic & Paralympic Research Centre (OPRC)

Victoria University's Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre (OPRC), established in 2021, is endorsed by the Australian Olympic Committee. It is also recognised by the IOC Olympic Studies Centre as a member of the global Olympic Studies and Research Centres network. The OPRC is actively engaged in Olympic studies and is a member of the worldwide network of OSRCs (PDF, 1.1 MB). 

There are also centres at the University of Technology Sydney (The Australian Centre for Olympic and Sports Studies – ACOSS ) and in Brisbane at the University of Queensland (The Queensland Centre for Olympic and Paralympic Studies – QCOPS). All three work collaboratively to foster academic insights into the Olympic Movement.

About the Olympic & Paralympic Research Centre (OPRC)

VU is only the third university in Australia and the only one in Victoria to receive approval after a rigorous selection process. Some 28 countries worldwide host 85 Olympic research networks and Olympic studies centres as a focus for Olympics education, and for research topics related to the Olympic movement.

A distinctive feature of the OPRC is that it encompasses social science research, writing and informed critiques associated with the Paralympics, the Winter Olympics, the Youth Olympics and other closely related mega multi-sport events, such as the Commonwealth Games and the Gay Games. The OPRC is also closely aligned with various research groups and programs in the Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University.

Members of the OPRC include academics, postgraduates, adjuncts and alumni directly associated with Victoria University, along with external domestic and international Research Associate members. The OPRC is also an official exchange partner with the Olympic Studies Centre at the German Sports University, Cologne, and the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University, London, Canada.

Our areas of expertise

Socio-cultural & historical

  • History and development of the Olympic Games (Summer and Winter)
  • Australia at the Olympic Games
  • Legacy and the Olympic Games
  • Philosophical and ethical aspects of the Olympic Games
  • History of women at the Olympic Games (gender aspects and inclusion)
  • Sociological aspects of the Olympic Games
  • Socio-cultural aspects and impacts of sport, with a particular focus on the intersections of diversity, social cohesion and sport, terrorism and the Olympic Games
  • History and development of the Gay Games, including aspects such as Human Rights and LGBTQ Rights at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Leadership & management

  • Olympic organisation management, including strategic organisational development for women as athletes and administrators
  • Olympic organisational management, gender and inclusion policies, human resource management
  • The application of international business and governance principles to the workings of the IOC and the Olympic Games
  • Information and management systems related to mega-sporting events
  • Legal aspects of mega-sporting events.

Sport performance

  • Data analytics for Olympic Games performances
  • Sport performance in Olympic sports
  • Sport technology in Olympic sports.

OPRC objectives

Objective 1 - Communication

The establishment and nurturing of informed communication with members, associates and partners with an interest in Olympic-related teaching, education and research, with relevant notable activities and achievements by Victoria University students, staff, adjuncts and alumni collated and highlighted in a regular Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre newsletter.  

Objective 2 - Engagement

The fostering of internal and external engagement via means of in-person and virtual seminars on Olympic-related themes, suitable for, and featuring, students, staff, adjuncts, and external personnel (including visiting scholars and high performance athletes) working on, or associated with, Olympic topics.

The Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre aims to support the teaching of Olympic-related education content and units in the College of Sport, Health and Engineering and the College of Arts, Business, Law and IT as well as externally. To assist engagement with media organisations and the public, the expertise of members and associates will be displayed on the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre website. 

Objective 3 - Outputs

The production of scholarly research outputs on Olympic-related themes, produced by students, staff, adjuncts and visiting scholars, and the generation of internal or external income by, for example, supporting internal and external grant applications, undertaking commissioned works and/or research, and hosting conferences. 

People at the VU Olympic & Paralympic Research Centre

Our leadership group consists of:

Co-Directors

Executive members

Dr Richard Baka
Dr Baka has been at Victoria University since 1979 and is currently an Adjunct Fellow within the Institute for Health and Sport where his major role is undertaking Olympic research, media work and other activities associated with the Olympic Movement.
Tracy Taylor
Professor Tracy Taylor
Tracy is an internationally recognised sport management scholar, with 100+ peer reviewed journal publications, books, book chapters and research project reports.
Jade Haycraft
Dr Jade Haycraft
Dr Haycraft is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Health and Sport. She does research with FIFA the international sport governing body for world soccer/football.
Head and shoulders photo of professional looking older man wearing glasses with plain white background.
Associate Professor Rob Hess
Associate Professor Rob Hess is one of Australia's foremost sport historians.
Dr Matthew Klugman
Matthew Klugman is a teacher and researcher at Victoria University.

Olympic research by the VU OPRC

OPRC member activities

Professor Tracy Taylor, one of the Co-Directors of the OPRC, had a number of Olympic-related roles in 2025:

  • Executive Masters in Olympic Organisations Management – Professor of Human Resource Management and Leadership and tutor
  • Advanced Sport Management Course – Program Director training and development
  • Olympic Studies Centre – Research Grant Awards committee member – PhD and Early Career Researcher + Advanced Olympic Research Grant Program

Professor Gary Rhodes, Director of the Center for Global Education at California State University in Los Angeles, USA, visited the OPRC in January of 2026 and had a meeting with Dr Richard Baka and Dr Rob Hess to discuss future collaboration especially concerning the 2028 LA Olympics.

Professor Andy Spalding, an Olympic scholar from the University of Richmond, was a Keynote Speaker at an Olympic Seminar at VU on March 16, 2026. He was also hosted by Dr Richard Baka, Dr Rob Hess and Professor Tracy Taylor at the Australian Sports Museum and attended an Australian Rules Football game in the Melbourne Cricket Club Members Reserve at the Melbourne Cricket Gound on March 14. 

Rowan Carroll from the USA and a Member of the International Society of Olympic Historians met with Dr Richard Baka to discuss Olympic matters and to outline the work of the OPRC. On April 3 he was also taken as a guest to an AFL Good Friday game at Marvel Stadium between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Carlton Blues.

Three people standing in an office setting holding a book and a football, with a framed black and white photo of cricket match on wall.Four attendees standing together at a professional event wearing badges indoors.Small group inside a museum space with a bright red wall labelled “OLYMPIC” and exhibits.Three people standing in stadium seating overlooking a large green field of a sports venue.Two people standing in a stadium with a brightly lit sports field and crowd in the background.Individual holding a ceremonial torch beside a wall featuring the Olympic rings symbol.Large indoor group gathered on a wooden floor, arranged in rows for a team or event photo.Large group photo outside a modern building with prominent Olympic rings displayed above a glass façade.• Four adults posing indoors beside a classical statue on an orange wall, casual group portrait.

Displaying image1/9.Professor Gary Rhodes, Dr Rob Hess and Dr Richard Baka at the OPRC Resource Centre at Victoria University.

Previous member activities

Professor Tracy Taylor of the OPRC at VU and Professor Emeritus, Dr Bob Barney of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University, London, Canada Dr Richard Baka of the OPRC at VU and Alan Oldham, PhD student at the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University, London, Canada Dr Ansgar Molzberger of the Olympic Studies Centre and Dr Rob Hess of the OPRC at VU at the German Sport University in Cologne. Professor Camilla Brockett, Tallis Everard and Dr Richard BakaConference attendees at the ICOS Olympic Conference is Besancon, France.Richard Baka from VU and Bjorn Galjaardt from U of Q at the 4th Colloquium of OSRCs in France during a tour of the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, SwitzerlandAustralian researchers from the U of Q (Ian Jobling, Sean Tweedy, John Cairney), Daryl Adair from UTS, Richard Baka from VU and Bjorn Galjaardt from U of Q at the 4th Colloquium of OSRCs in France.Daniel Quanz and Ansgar Molnar from the German Sport University, Richard Baka from VU and Stephan Wassong from the German Sport University at the 4th Colloquium of OSRCs in FranceMaria Bogner and Nuria Puig from the IOC, Richard Baka from VU, Angela Schneider from Western University, Canada, and Stephan Wassong from the German Sport University at the 4th Colloquium of OSRCs in FranceTracy Taylor with members of the IOC Olympic Studies Research Grants Committee meeting in Lausanne in May 2025

Displaying image1/10.Professor Tracy Taylor of the OPRC at VU and Professor Emeritus, Dr Bob Barney of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western University, London, Canada.

Upcoming Olympic and Paralympic conferences & seminars

Olympic Day Forum on Monday 29 June 2026 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground: “Contemporary Issues in the Olympic Movement: An Australian Perspective”

The Olympic Day Forum organised by the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre at Victoria University, was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday June 29 to help celebrate the International Olympic Committee’s worldwide Olympic Day activities. The attendees included academics and researchers representing 10 universities from Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, along with representatives from organisations such as the International Olympic Committee, the Australian Olympic Committee, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Victorian Institute of Sport as well as sports consultants, postgraduate and undergraduate students, and several Olympians.

The morning session included a complimentary tour of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and a visit to the Australian Sports Museum. The afternoon program of Olympic-themed presentations is in the attached program and the presentations are also provided. 

Thanks to the terrific team from the Institute for Health and Sport administrative staff including Amanda Rea, Alana Mizzi and Jaimee Rea and to the conference organisers Professor Tracy Taylor, Dr Jade Haycraft and Dr Richard Baka. A special thank you to our partner presenters: Professor Clare Hanlon from Victoria University, Michelle De Highden from the Australian Institute of Sport, Olympian and Australian Olympic Committee representative David Culbert, Professor John Cairney and Dr Bjorn Galjaardt from the Queensland Centre for Olympic and Paralympic Studies and Dr Daryl Adair from the Australian Centre for Olympic and Sports Studies at the University of Technology Sydney. A special thanks to Julien Buhajezuk from the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Studies Centre, Jed Smith, Manager of the Museum and Heritage Services, and his team from the Australian Sports Museum, the Melbourne Cricket Club and the Melbourne Cricket Ground all of whom deserve special mention for supporting this event. 

It was a terrific day with a great exchange of ideas, networking opportunities and knowledge acquisition. Several of the interstate presenters also attended an AFL Game between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Essendon Bombers on the day before the Forum. Several of the photos of the event are in the accompanying gallery.

For more events, see The Olympic Studies Centre Olympic-related conferences and academic events (2026-2027 selection).

Four attendees posing in a stadium seating area overlooking a brightly lit AFL sports field. Rows of spectators fill the background.A presenter stands at the front of a conference room speaking to an audience. A large presentation screen displays a Victoria University slide, while attendees sit facing the stage.Three conference attendees stand together in an informal dining area. Name badges are visible on their jackets. Tables, other guests appear in the background.Three attendees stand at the side of a large outdoor stadium. Stadium seating, tall floodlight towers and an overcast sky form the background, highlighting the venue’s scale and open setting.A speaker addresses an audience at a conference. A large screen behind the speaker shows a Victoria University presentation slide, while attendees watch from their seats.A presenter stands at the front of a conference room speaking to an audience, next to a large presentation screen, while attendees sit facing the stage.A presenter stands at the front of a conference room speaking to an audience. A large presentation screen is behind her, while attendees sit facing the stage.A speaker addresses an audience at a conference, holding a microphone, with a large screen behind him. A speaker addresses an audience at a conference. A large screen behind the speaker shows an aerial view a city, while attendees watch from their seats.A large screen at a conference venue shows a person in business attire speaking, while attendees watch from their seats.

Displaying image1/10.Dr Galjaardt, Professor Tracy Taylor, Dr Daryl Adair and Dr Richard Baka at AFL Game.

Olympic websites

Contact us

For any media enquiries or for information about finding a media expert, please visit the research news & publications page.

Location:
Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre
Room PB 211, P Building
VU Footscray Park Campus
Cnr Geelong Road and Ballarat Road, Footscray, Victoria

Mailing address:
PO Box 14428
Melbourne, Victoria 8001
Australia

Contact Dr Richard Baka for any enquiries about the Olympic and Paralympic Research Centre:

Dr Richard Baka
Email:  richard.baka@vu.edu.au
Phone: +61 3 9919 4358 or mobile +61 403 031 295

View Dr Richard Baka's profile on The Conversation