FIFA Master 24th Edition Class receive their degree certificates from the President of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), Mr Ingmar De Vos
Set in the beautiful surroundings of the Grand Council Chamber at the Château de Neuchâtel and later in the gardens of Le Cloître de la Collégiale, the 2024 graduating FIFA Master class had a day they will never forget during an emotional graduation ceremony.
In front of parents, friends, representatives from the Centre International d’Etude du Sport (CIES), FIFA and the three course partner universities of De Montfort University (Leicester), SDA Bocconi (Milan) and University of Neuchâtel, the President of the CIES Council of Foundation, Pierre Cornu, warmly welcomed everyone to what would be the final stage of their academic journey on the FIFA Master for this edition.
Mr Sébastien Rytz, Head of the State Sports Department for the Government of the Canton of Neuchâtel, Prof. Katie Normington (Vice Chancellor of De Montfort University), Prof. Antonio Palmieri (Official representative of SDA Bocconi School of Management) and Prof. Kilian Stoffel (Rector of the University of Neuchâtel) all delivered speeches to the postgraduate students.
They were followed by FIFA’s official representative at the ceremony, Mr Serafino Ingardia (Manger from the FIFA Secretary General Executive Office and FIFA Master 17th edition graduate) and finally, FIFA Master Alumni Association (FMA) President, Ms Heather O’Keeffe, who welcomed the class to the FMA as its newest members.
Following a brief musical interlude, CIES Director, Prof. Denis Oswald, next moved to introduce the special graduation guest and Patron for the 24th Edition Class – Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) President, Mr Ingmar De Vos.
Educated in sports management, business administration and international law, Mr De Vos began his career in politics before working for the Belgian Equestrian Federation. Here, he supported that nation's equestrian teams at the Olympics and the FEI World Equestrian Games. Since 2017, he has been a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is currently a member of three IOC Commissions: Legal Affairs Commission, Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympic Games Coordination Commission and the Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commission. This year he was also elected unanimously as the new President of the ASOIF at the 48th ASOIF General Assembly and will take up his new position on 1st January 2025. With such a distinguished career, Mr De Vos was able to give unique advice and encouragement for the graduating class as they begin their own careers in international sport administration.
The ceremony next moved onto one of the key moments of the academic year, with the awarding of the FIFA Master degree certificates. Mr Vincent Schatzmann, CIES General Secretary, called the 24th Edition class members individually to receive their diplomas from Prof. Denis Oswald and Mr De Vos at the front of the Grand Council Chamber.
This was next followed by what is always an important moment in the graduation ceremony proceedings, the presentation of the "Alberto Madella Award", which rewards the group of students who delivered the best Final Project presentation from the conference events held the previous day. For 2024, the FIFA Master Scientific Committee unanimously decided that two groups should receive this award – Group 2 with the project title, “Behind the Glory: Unveiling the Mental Health Challenges in the Professional Football’s Ecosystem”. Congratulations to the group members of Dominique Donghwun Chang (South Korea), Ludovica Giorgetti (Italy), Cassandra Hesselink (Canada), Yair Rangel (Mexico), and to Group 4 with the title, “Building and Selling a Unique Game: How is Elite Women’s Football Developing in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan?”. Congratulations to the members of this group, Christopher Curulli (Australia), Paola López Yrigoyen (Mexico), Lucas Oaigen (Brazil & Canada), Takuma Tobinaga (Japan).
A further presentation was made to Mr Christopher Curulli (Australia) who received the Swiss Sport Managers Award for graduating as the outstanding student in the 24th Edition Class.
Before the ceremony came to a close, the floor was given to Ms Teresa Ouko Calleb (Kenya) and Mr Philip Black (Chile and United Kingdom) who addressed their fellow class members with an emotional and entertaining overview of the year, and which also provided a moment to reflect on the lifetime friendships the course had created since they first all met in September the previous year. They also thanked the Scientific Committee and Module Coordinators for their dedication and work in supporting the class as they completed their FIFA Master studies in the Humanities of Sport, Sport Management and Sports Law in England, Italy and Switzerland. It was a journey which would stay with them forever.
With the speeches now over, Mr Pierre Cornu officially closed the 2024 ceremony and invited the new graduates to continue the celebrations with their families and friends by enjoying a cocktail reception in the stunning gardens of the Le Cloître de la Collégiale in the mid-summer sunshine.
CIES, De Montfort University, SDA Bocconi School of Management and the University of Neuchâtel warmly congratulate our newly graduated FIFA Master students and wish them every success for the future.
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 11 times by SportBusiness.
Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
