Kaupapa Kōrero 'little talks, big topics'

'Faster, Higher, Stronger... Riskier? Power, performance and patriotism at the COVID Olympics'

The 32nd Olympiad is proving to be the most controversial and emotive in recent history. Proceeding despite a global pandemic and spotlighting a barrage of opinion around diversity and gender identity, these Games raise, not for the first time, questions of if, and how, sport aligns with political and social issues.

This Kaupapa Kōrero brings together experts from the playing and scholarly fields central to high performance sport. Administrators, athletes and academics will participate in a panel discussion and Q&A about the power, rules and postponement of the games, how they affect athletes at their peak and the place of sporting pride in our national priorities.

Featuring Panellists:

Professor Holly Thorpe:
Professor Thorpe is an award-winning sociologist with a passion for research that meets the demand to understand sport, health and wellbeing in a rapidly changing world.

Geoff Barry :
Geoff Barry is the recently appointed Chief Executive of Rowing New Zealand, following nine years at Sport NZ. He is an experienced sport administrator and former elite coach.

Dr Damien Puddle:
Having gained his PhD from the University of Waikato, Dr Puddlenow works for Sport Waikato as New Zealand’s first Local Play Advocate. He is also CEO of Parkour NZ - Tauhōkai Aotearoa and the international organisation Parkour Earth.

Dr Rob Townsend:
Dr Townsend is a senior lecturer in the University of Waikato’s Te Huataki Waiora School of Health. His research focuses on coaching across the disability sport pathway, including elite and Paralympic sport.

Ally Wollaston:
A University of Waikato Hillary Scholar and member of the New Zealand Women’s Endurance Track Cycling team, Ally is currently studying towards a Bachelor of Laws and offers an elite athlete’s perspective.

Professor Belinda Wheaton:
Professor Wheaton is a cultural sociologist in Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, with interdisciplinary interests spanning the sociology of sport, gender studies and issues of power and inequity.

Mihi Nemani:
A current PhD candidate at the University of Waikato, Mihi (Māori-Samoan, Ngātiwai) is a principal lecturer in Sport at Manukau Institute of Technology, researching sport sociology with a particular interest in ethnicity and gender. She is also a world champion bodyboarder and weightlifter.

This Kaupapa Kōrero "little talks, big topics" will be held at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts at the University of Waikato, starting at 5.45pm. Opus Bar will be open from 5pm for anyone who wishes to purchase refreshments prior to the lecture starting. Free parking is available on campus via Gate 2B, Knighton Road, Hamilton.

Please register your attendance using the URL link and bring your eticket with you on the evening.