Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) welcomed 3,000 new students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programmes, including two Olympic gold medallists: Jiao Liuyang, the Women’s 200-metre Butterfly gold medallist at the London Olympics, and Zhang Yangyang, the Women’s Quadruple Sculls gold medallist at the Beijing Olympics, who have both enrolled in the PhD programme in Physical Education and Sports Science. The enrolment of Olympic champions in MPU manifested the university’s outstanding academic reputation and scientific research strength, positioning MPU as a preferred institute for international elite performers to actualise their academic ambitions. 

 

Rector Marcus Im stated that MPU is the only higher education institute in Macao which offers comprehensive programmes in bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the field of Physical Education and Sports Science with the aim of nurturing local and national athletes as well as to support their development in both academic and athletic roles. Over the years, MPU has nurtured several world-class champions with outstanding achievement. This year, the joining of two Olympic gold medallists in MPU’s PhD programme in Physical Education and Sports Science reinforces the institution’s ethos of striving for excellence, contributing to the cultivation of local athletes and research talents as well as advancing the high-quality development of sports science research.

 

Jiao Liuyang and Zhang Yangyang commented that with the transition of their roles from the Olympic Games arena to the academic world, they will continue to carry forward the Olympic Games spirit of striving for excellence and breakthroughs, and to embark on a new research journey with MPU’s outstanding academic platform. The MPU motto “Knowledge, Expertise, Global Vision” keeps guiding students to embark on a new journey. It is precisely the academic spirit of pursuing excellence as stated in the motto that attracted the Olympic champions to start their academic journey in MPU, continuing their pursuit of knowledge and self-transcendence.

 

The PhD programme in Physical Education and Sports Science is jointly developed by Macao Polytechnic University and Shanghai University of Sport, and is the first doctoral programme in this field in mainland China and Macao. This curriculum focuses on research areas such as athletic sports training and science, sports industry management and physical education, with specific exploration of national-level topics including sports and health promotion for different groups of people, monitoring of competitive performance and development, rehabilitation and treatment for sports injuries, students’ motor skills and improvement of physical fitness. It delves into developmental trends and analysis in sports and health, athletic sports and professional sports industry, and thus is highly popular among students in the field of sports science.