Students of Kozminski University received the FIFA/CIES Network Prize awards in Mexico for the best consulting projects in the international competition among partner universities of the FIFA/CIES programme. The awards were presented during the FIFA/CIES Sport Management Programme alumni meeting, held alongside the FIFA World Cup.
International success in sports management
The FIFA/CIES Network Prize awards went to teams connected with the postgraduate programme “Sports Management” at Kozminski University. Their projects were recognised in competition with programme participants representing universities from several countries.
The distinction is particularly important because FIFA and CIES form a global educational network in the field of sports management. Team projects are assessed in terms of innovation, quality of analysis, and the practical potential of their recommendations.
Kozminski University has been cooperating with CIES for over a decade. The University’s students have now won the FIFA/CIES Network Prize for the third time, and for the second year in a row they have been among the laureates.
Projects recognised by the international jury
Among the awarded projects was “Active Senior AI” – a modern model for activating people aged 60+, combining sport, social integration, and artificial intelligence, based on the example of the town of Piastów. The authors of the project are Katarzyna Ogórek, Marek Konieczny, and Wojciech Nowak.
Also awarded was the marketing plan for the “AdaptiFit” application, which supports people with disabilities in sports activity. The project was prepared by Halina Danielak, Jakub Godlewski, Katarzyna Łopuszyńska, and Stanisław Miliński.
Seeing a World Cup match with our own eyes, especially here in Mexico, where the atmosphere of a football celebration can be felt at every turn, is the adventure of a lifetime. Taking part in the meeting inaugurating the CIES-UNA Alumni Association as one of the awarded projects is a great honour. We are all the more pleased that we were such a strong group of two awarded teams from Poland. This shows that we understand global trends very well and are able to engage with them in an innovative way,” say the authors of the “AdaptiFit” project: Halina Danielak, Jakub Godlewski, Stanisław Miliński, and Katarzyna Łopuszyńska.
Practical education and international experience
The stay in Mexico was also an opportunity to take part in the CIES-UNA alumni meeting and a conference with representatives of global sport, including the President of the Mexican Football Federation.
The delegation also attended a Lucha Libre gala – a spectacular wrestling event that is an important part of Mexican sporting tradition. The trip culminated in the Mexico–Ecuador match played at the Azteca Stadium in front of more than 80,000 fans.
What makes me most happy is that the final projects are able to combine solid methodology with recommendations that can be implemented in practice. This is a great satisfaction and a reason to be proud,” emphasises Dr Paweł de Pourbaix, academic supervisor of the winning projects.
The students’ success is part of Kozminski University’s long-standing cooperation with FIFA/CIES. For more than a decade, the “Sports Management” programme has combined international educational standards with the practice of the sports business.
The programme prepares participants to work on projects that respond to real challenges in the sports industry. It is delivered with the involvement of partners: PGE Narodowy, Ekstraklasa SA, the Sport Biznes Polska Association, the Warsaw Marathon Foundation, and Łemkowyna Trail.
The postgraduate programme ‘Sports Management’ at Kozminski University was much more than just another stage of education for our group. It was a time of gaining practical knowledge, inspiring meetings with experts, and experiences that changed the way we look at sport and its management. We would like to thank the University, the programme partners, and all lecturers for creating a programme that inspires, develops, and opens up new opportunities,” comment the laureates and authors of the “Active Senior AI” project: Katarzyna Ogórek, Marek Konieczny, and Wojciech Nowak.
Recruitment for the 11th edition of the programme is now open. More information about the programme is available on the Kozminski University website: https://www.kozminski.edu.pl/pl/oferta-edukacyjna/studia-podyplomowe/zarzadzanie-w-sporcie
