On 8 March 2017, Michael Pedersen facilitated a sport governance workshop in the context of the Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Sport Administration and Technology, organized by International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The ½-day workshop offered students enrolled in the MAS an international perspective on the why, what and how of good governance in sport. Through a highly engaging and interactive workshop format, the students had an opportunity to further develop and share their own thinking. Among other things, they critically reflected on case studies on evolving good sport governance practices. They also applied different stakeholder perspectives in developing solutions to specific governance challenges. Such solutions included developing models for professionalizing the boardroom of a sport organization and creating democratic structures that reduce the risk of vote-buying and incentivize the contribution to further developing sport.

The MAS students rated the governance workshop well in their subsequent evaluations. 45 per cent of the students ‘agreed’ and another 45 per cent of them ‘strongly agreed’ that the teaching style enhanced their learning experience. Similar percentages of students stated that they learned new things, which they were interested in, and that they felt challenged. After the workshop, two of the students independently wrote to Michael Pedersen. One said: "Thanks for the interactive class. I think the content was relevant and the approach was fun.” The other one said: “I found it extremely useful and very engaging.”mm

The MAS is co-signed by EPFL, University of Lausanne and University of Geneva. It is designed for sports-minded professionals wishing to achieve a stronger skill set for their existing or desired career in the sport industry. MAS students have an undergraduate degree, a master’s degree and/or work experience. The MAS class of 2017 is comprised of 35 students from 24 different countries with an average of seven years of work experience.

For further information about the MAS, see the dedicated section of the AISTS website.