Christian Kern, academic of Physical Education, will participate in the event in June in Olímpia
Photo: Personal archive
The Physical Education student, from PUCRS’ School of Health and Life Sciences (ESCV), Christian Kern, was selected by Brazil’s Olympic Committee to represent the country in the 63rd International Session for Young Olympic Ambassadors. The event will take place between June 11th and the 22nd in the International Olympic Academy, in Olympia (Greece).
The purpose of the program is to gather for each meeting young people between the ages of 20 and 30 to encourage them to deepen their knowledge acquired during their stay in Olympia representing Olympism. The session includes lectures by internationally renowned professors on Olympic Movement, work group discussions and final presentations, cultural visits, sports and arts, presentations by participating Olympic athletes, among other activities.
Kern is a member of PUCRS’ Research Group in Olympic Studies (GPEO), which caused him to develop an interest in Olympism. “I joined the GPEO in the first semester of the Physical Education Graduate Program and, since then, I have had fundamental experiences that allowed me to participate in an event of such magnitude, so I can acquire more knowledge and have access to an important networking at a national and international level that go beyond Olympic Studies,” he says.
According to the researcher, the inspiration for the theme comes from stories heard in the classrooms and in the halls of the ESCV. “I would hear the stories of all the professors in the Research Group about how special it is to visit Olympia and that, for some, being there was a turning point in personal and professional ways.”
Coordinator of the group and ESCV professor, Nelson Todt has already been to the International Olympic Academy on other occasions, and says that Kern is continuing a legacy that has been a part of PUCRS for many years. “It has been over 20 years of the GPEO PUCRS, and we have been increasingly reaching an important international recognition. Other professors from the University have already been through this program, and Christian’s participation as a student fills us with pride and gives us the certainty that we are doing a good job.”
