Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies to Launch Major Scholarship Programme for International Students in 2015

GENEVA, Switzerland, Dec. 11, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

- New Leader in Japanese Sports Education Displays Its Global Commitment -
- Promoting Japan as Center for Sports Studies in Run-up to Tokyo 2020 -

Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (hereafter TIAS) on December 11 announced that it will be launching a new scholarship programme aimed exclusively at international students. Applications for the programme will be accepted from 23 February, 2015, and it will officially start from 1 October, 2015. The scholarship for international students will cover all university fees, plus accommodation costs and travel fare to and from Japan.

TIAS is part of the University of Tsukuba, which has a history of involvement in the Japanese Olympic Movement stretching back over 100 years. Located nearby Tokyo, the site of the 2020 Games, TIAS is an ideal place for people from around the world to further their sports-related studies.

The TIAS curriculum covers the areas of a) Olympic & Paralympic Education, b) Sport Management, c) Sport Science & Medicine, d) Sport for Development & Peace, and e) Teaching, Coaching & Japanese Culture. All classes on the 18-month course are taught in English. The Academy enjoys the full backing of the Japanese government, as a key part of its "Sport for Tomorrow" initiative.

At the International Sports Convention (ISC) in Geneva, Switzerland, at which TIAS is exhibiting, the Chairman of TIAS, Dr. Hisashi Sanada, said "With the 2020 Olympic Games ahead of us, we hope to recruit a wide range of people with vision, who want to study sport at this academy in Japan, and who wish to be active in the world of sport, whether that be the IOC, the IF's in each country, or in sport businesses." Also present at the announcement was Ms. Tomoko Fukumi, 2009 world judo champion (48 kg) and former Olympian, who commented "I believe that this sports academy at Tsukuba University, one of Japan's foremost sports education centers boasting leading-edge technology and facilities in the field, can become a unique institution of its kind in the world."

*Images from the event are available at:
http://www.image.net/tias_iscgeneva2014

*For further details on the program and how to apply, refer to:
http://tias.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/

*About TIAS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbSUUZ1ktqs