Session Coordinator: Jacob Taylor
Sport in all its various forms holds a huge stake in Australia, China, and the Asia-Pacific region, more generally. Some of the questions that the panel will discuss in this session will be: How can opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation and exchange be incorporated into the competitive sporting agendas of both nations? How can Australia and China work together to maintain the integrity of healthy and fair competition in the Asia-Pacific and international sporting communities? In addition, how can sport function as more than just a game and as a medium of cultural diplomacy and exchange, social inclusion, peace and development?
Patrick SKENE
Patrick Skene has over 10 years’ experience in multicultural community sport engagement and is the Director of Sport and Media for Red Elephant Projects (www.redelephantprojects.com; @redelephantaus), a specialist consultancy involved in research, community engagement, media, marketing and participation and fan development program with a focus on multicultural and indigenous communities.
Red Elephant Projects has worked extensively on Asian Community sports programs from elite team inbound and outbound tours to working with Asian Australian sport organisations to strengthen community and deliver social outcomes through sport participation.
Red Elephant Projects are the community engagement advisors for the AFC Asian Cup 2015 Communities program and have worked with most major national sporting organisations including Football Federation Australia, the Australian Football League, the National Rugby League, Basketball Australia, Cricket Australia and Netball Victoria.
Patrick’s areas of expertise include research, strategy, program design, media, community engagement, fundraising and program sustainability.
Patrick has a Bachelor of Applied Science from University of Technology, Sydney.
Suggested Readings:
- Australian Sports Commission (2013), 'The future of Australian sport: Megatrends shaping the sports sector over coming decades', available from: http://www.ausport.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/523450/The_Future_of_Australian_Sport_-_Full_Report.pdf
- Jacob Taylor (2012), 'More than "just a game"', Australia China Quarterly, available from: http://www.australiachinaquarterly.com.au/en/sport/item/231-more-than-%E2%80%98just-a-game%E2%80%99.html
- Stuart Murray (2013), 'Moving beyond the Ping-Pong table: Sports Diplomacy in the Modern Diplomatic Environment', PD Magazine, available from: http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/moving-beyond-the-ping-pong-table-sports-diplomacy-in-the-modern-diplomatic-environment/
- Anthony Bubalo (2013), 'Football Diplomacy Redux: The 2015 Asian Cup and Australia's Engagement with Asia', Lowy Institute, available from: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/files/bubalo_football_diplomacy_redux_web.pdf
- Stuart Murray (2013), 'Sports diplomacy in the Australian context: A case study of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade', Sports Law eJournal, http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=slej
- Fred Dove (2013), 'Could cricket have a big future in China?', BBC News, available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23546528
Australia versus China, Basketball; image courtesy of Shadowdall via Flickr