Russian International Olympic University

Russian International Olympic University

Russian International Olympic University (RIOU) programmes are dedicated to sports business education. The University provides training in major areas of sports management preparing students to make a positive and lasting impact on the international sports industry and secure prestigious positions within sporting organisations. RIOU’s flagship “Master of Sport Administration” programme ranked one of the top 40 postgraduate sport management courses in the world and top 10 in Europe in influential SportBusiness Postgraduate Sports Course Rankings (2021 Report).

More about us

The Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation "Russian International Olympic University" (RIOU) was established on 21 October 2009 under the Memorandum of Understanding between the International Olympic Committee, the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee and the Russian Olympic Committee. The founders of the University are the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, the Russian Olympic Committee and Interros private investment company.

Today RIOU is an international centre for education and a platform for multilateral dialogue between researchers and practitioners in the area of sports. RIOU’s tried-and-tested educational programmes vary in focus and length, but all of them are aligned with the demands of the rapidly growing sports industry and draw on the expertise of leading sport management professors from different countries. The University’s state-of-the-art campus is located in Sochi.

RIOU’s flagship programme is a one-year “Master of Sport Administration”. Since the course’s first intake in 2013 training has been provided to representatives of 76 different countries. MSA graduates land jobs within their field of specialization and are making successful careers in organisations within the sports industry and the Olympic Movement.

As the custodian of the 2014 Games Archive, RIOU is responsible for preserving the information legacy of the Sochi 2014 Winter Games and creating the right conditions for research in the field of the Olympic Movement and sport. RIOU regularly hosts international research-to-practice conferences which feature a wide-ranging programme of acclaimed sport management experts. The University’s publishing wing supports academic and research activities.