Prof. Dr. Ian CUPLAN

Director, New Zealand Centre for Olympic Studies

Past President, Federation Internationale d’Education Physique (FIEP) (2012-2016)

Director of the New Zealand Centre for Olympic Studies

Professor of Physical Education and Sport Studies

University of Canterbury

New Zealand

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Prof. Dr. Ian Culpan is currently the Professor in the School of Health Sciences and the former Head of the School of Sciences and Physical Education at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. He has strong research interests in physical education teacher education (PETE), Curriculum Development, Pedagogy, the socio-cultural aspects of Sport and Olympic/Olympism Education. He has a high international profile, led and directed many national initiatives in physical education and has published nationally and internationally.

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He was one of two principal writers of the national health and physical education curriculum and chaired the national standards body for senior school qualifications. He is the immediate past president of the New Zealand Olympic Academy: and has served as the president of Federation Internationale d'Education Physique. (FIEP Oceania) where he is currently the NZ delegate. He is the director of the New Zealand Centre for Olympic Studies, a Trustee of International Alpha Upsilon Chi, chair of the FutureSport Trust and is a board member of the Sport Museum of New Zealand and Physical Education New Zealand. He has been awarded the International Olympic Committee Trophy twice (2000 & 2014) for his teaching and research in education and sport; and was the 7th person in the history of physical education in New Zealand to be awarded the prestigious Sir Alexander Gillies Medal for Physical Education.

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He has been a visiting Professor at Charles University in the Czech Republic and a visiting Professor at the German Sport University Cologne, University of Peloponnese and the International Olympic Academy, Greece, Kristianstad University Sweden, Nanjing Normal University, China and University of Tsukuba, Japan. He is a National: Fellow for Physical Education New Zealand, has served on an advisory panel for UNESCO and co coordinated the New Zealand All Blacks leadership programme.