About the IOC Olympic Studies Centre:
The IOC Olympic Studies Centre (OSC) is the reference centre for Olympic knowledge. Located in Lausanne, Switzerland, the OSC manages and preserves the IOC's unique collections — including over 42,000 official and academic publications accessible through the Olympic World Library (OWL), and 1.5 kilometres of IOC historical archives spanning the entire history of the modern Olympic Movement since its inception in 1894.
The OSC actively promotes academic research on the Olympic Movement through two research grant programmes, network building, and knowledge sharing. Since 1999, the grant programmes have supported more than 148 researchers from countries around the world.
About the PhD Students and Early Career Academics Research Grant Programme:
This annual programme aims to help researchers at the start of their career who are engaged in research into any aspect of the Olympic world from a human or social sciences perspective. The programme provides financial support for research costs and, where relevant, opportunities to visit the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne to consult its collections, including primary sources and the IOC's historical archives.
The 2027 edition has been officially launched, with a submission deadline of September 22, 2026. This is the latest in an unbroken series of annual grant rounds since 1999.
Who Can Apply:
- PhD Students: All current postgraduate students enrolled in a PhD degree programme within the human and/or social sciences. Research must encompass Olympism, the Olympic Movement, or the Olympic Games as at least one research focus. Must be currently enrolled at the time of application.
- Early Career Academics: All academic staff members and postdoctoral fellows who have completed their doctorate or equivalent highest degree (including masters, depending on the field) in or after 2024. Must hold or have recently held an academic/research position. Completed doctorate must be recent enough to qualify as "early career."
- All nationalities and countries are eligible — there are no geographic restrictions. Nepal is fully eligible.
- Applications must be in English or French — the two official languages of the Olympic Movement.
- These eligibility criteria are strictly applied by the IOC.
What Is Funded:
- Research grants of up to USD $6,000 covering: Direct research costs — data collection, fieldwork, materials. Travel to the IOC Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland (if the research requires consultation of IOC archives and collections). Other relevant research expenditure as justified in the application.
Research assistance and transcription costs are normally NOT covered unless the applicant provides sound justification for why these are essential to the research.
- Additionally, successful applicants may receive: Access to the IOC's HISTORICAL ARCHIVES — primary sources spanning the modern Olympic Movement since 1894. Access to the OSC's collections — 42,000+ publications, photographs, audiovisual materials. Research support from OSC staff during visits to Lausanne. Scheduled research visits between February and the end of the grant period.
What Research Is Eligible:
Research must be from a human and/or social sciences perspective. This is broadly defined and can include:
- Historical studies — Olympic history, history of specific Games, history of sports within the Olympic programme, institutional history of the IOC and Olympic Movement.
- Sociological studies — social impact of the Olympics, sport and society, inclusion and diversity in Olympic sports, athlete experiences and welfare.
- Political studies — Olympic governance, sports diplomacy, nationalism and the Olympics, boycotts and politics, hosting politics.
- Economic studies — economic impact of Olympic Games, legacy analysis, cost-benefit analysis, commercialisation and sponsorship.
- Cultural studies — Olympic art and culture, media representation, Olympic ceremonies, Olympic symbolism and values.
- Legal studies — sports law, anti-doping regulation, athlete rights, governance reform.
- Gender and diversity studies — gender equity in Olympic sport, LGBTQI inclusion, disability sport and Paralympics, racial and ethnic diversity.
- Educational studies — Olympic education, sport for development, values-based education through sport.
- Philosophical and ethical studies — Olympism as philosophy, ethics in sport, fair play, integrity.
- Communication and media studies — Olympic broadcasting, media coverage, digital media and the Olympics, social media and athletes.
- Management and organisational studies — IOC governance, National Olympic Committee management, sport administration.
- Environmental and sustainability studies — Olympic sustainability, green Games, environmental legacy.
- Sport development studies — grassroots sport, Olympic solidarity, development through sport, small nation participation.
Selection Process:
Applications are reviewed by a Grant Programme Selection Committee composed of internationally recognised academic experts in Olympic studies alongside representatives from the IOC Olympic Studies Centre. The committee assesses: Academic quality of the research proposal. Relevance to Olympic studies — connection to Olympism, the Olympic Movement, or the Olympic Games. Methodological rigour. Feasibility within the grant period and budget. Potential contribution to the field of Olympic studies.
Applicants are notified of results by the end of December 2026.
Nepal Eligibility and Relevance:
Nepal is fully eligible — no geographic restrictions. All nationalities can apply. While Olympic studies is a niche field, Nepal has several potential research angles.
Nepal's Olympic Context:
Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC): Established in 1962, recognised by the IOC in 1963. Nepal has participated in every Summer Olympic Games since 1964 (Tokyo). Nepal has never won an Olympic medal — making it part of the large group of nations where Olympic participation, development, and aspiration remain compelling research subjects.
Potential Nepal-Related Olympic Research Topics:
- Sport Development in Small/Developing Nations: How does a low-income, landlocked country like Nepal develop Olympic-level athletes? What barriers (economic, infrastructural, geographic, political) prevent Nepal from achieving Olympic success? Comparative analysis of Olympic development strategies among Least Developed Countries.
- Gender Equity in Nepali Sports: Nepal has made significant progress in women's sport participation but gaps remain. Research on gender barriers in Nepali Olympic sports — institutional, cultural, economic. Comparison with Nepal's progressive legal framework on gender equality versus sporting reality.
- Mountain Sports and Olympic Inclusion: Nepal is synonymous with mountaineering — yet climbing is not an Olympic sport. Research on the inclusion/exclusion of mountain sports in the Olympic programme. Trail running, sport climbing (now Olympic), and Nepal's potential in these disciplines.
- Olympic Education and Values: How are Olympic values (excellence, friendship, respect) understood and transmitted in Nepal's educational system? Sport-for-development programmes in Nepal and their alignment with Olympism. Role of sport in peacebuilding in Nepal's post-conflict context.
- Governance and Institutional Development: Nepal Olympic Committee governance, reform, and development. National sports federation management in a federalised Nepal. IOC Olympic Solidarity funding and its impact on Nepal's sport development.
- Athlete Experiences and Welfare: Lived experiences of Nepali Olympic athletes — training conditions, support systems, motivation. Athlete welfare in resource-constrained environments. Return-to-community trajectories of Nepali Olympic participants.
- Sport and National Identity: How does Olympic participation contribute to Nepal's national identity and international visibility? The role of sport in Nepal's diplomatic engagement. Olympic moments and their cultural significance in Nepal.
- Environmental Sustainability and Sport: Nepal's unique environmental context (Himalayas, climate change) and its intersection with sport. Sustainability of major sporting events in mountain environments. Climate change impacts on outdoor/mountain sports in Nepal.
Potential Nepal Applicants:
- PhD students at Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, or other Nepali universities researching sport, society, or policy.
- Nepali PhD students studying abroad (UK, Australia, USA, Europe) with Nepal-focused Olympic research.
- Early career academics at Nepal's sport science or social science departments.
- Researchers at Nepal Academy of Sport or affiliated institutions.
- Postdoctoral fellows with recent doctorates (2024 or later) researching sport and development.
KEY DETAILS
- Grant: IOC Olympic Studies Centre — PhD Students and Early Career Academics Research Grant 2027
- Organization: International Olympic Committee (IOC)
- DEADLINE: September 22, 2026
- Results: by end of December 2026
- Lausanne visits: from February 2027
- Annual programme
- APPLY:
— Download application forms: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/olympic-studies-centre/research-grant-programmes
— Submit to: studies.centre@olympic.org
— English or French
- GRANT: Up to USD $6,000
— Research costs + travel to Lausanne (if applicable)
— Access to IOC HISTORICAL ARCHIVES (42,000+ publications, 1.5km archives)
— Amount decided by Selection Committee
- FOR: PhD STUDENTS + EARLY CAREER ACADEMICS
— PhD students in human/social sciences with Olympic research focus
— Postdocs/early career who completed doctorate in or after 2024
— ALL NATIONALITIES — Nepal fully eligible
— No geographic restrictions
- MUST RESEARCH: OLYMPIC STUDIES
— Olympism
— Olympic Movement
— Olympic Games
— Athletes
— Sport history/sociology/politics/economics/culture/law/gender
— Human and/or social sciences perspective ONLY
- ELIGIBLE RESEARCH AREAS:
— HISTORY of Olympics and Olympic sports
— SOCIOLOGY of sport and Olympic participation
— POLITICS — governance, diplomacy, hosting
— ECONOMICS — impact, legacy, commercialisation
— CULTURE — art, media, ceremonies, symbolism
— LAW — sports law, anti-doping, athlete rights
— GENDER — equity, LGBTQI inclusion, diversity
— EDUCATION — Olympic values, sport for development
— PHILOSOPHY — Olympism, ethics, fair play
— MEDIA — broadcasting, digital, social media
— MANAGEMENT — IOC, NOC, federation governance
— ENVIRONMENT — sustainability, green Games
— DEVELOPMENT — grassroots sport, small nation participation
- NEPAL: FULLY ELIGIBLE
— Nepal Olympic Committee member since 1963
— Olympic participant since 1964 (Tokyo)
— Never won Olympic medal — compelling research context
— Sport development in LDCs = strong research angle
— Gender equity in sport relevant to Nepal
— Mountain sports and Olympic inclusion
— Post-conflict sport and peacebuilding
- NEPAL RESEARCH IDEAS:
— Sport development BARRIERS in LDCs — Nepal case study
— GENDER EQUITY in Nepali Olympic sports
— MOUNTAIN SPORTS and Olympic programme inclusion
— Olympic EDUCATION and values in Nepal schools
— Nepal Olympic Committee GOVERNANCE and reform
— Nepali ATHLETE experiences and welfare
— SPORT and NATIONAL IDENTITY in Nepal
— SUSTAINABILITY of sport in mountain environments
— Olympic SOLIDARITY funding impact in Nepal
- POTENTIAL NEPAL APPLICANTS:
— PhD students at TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY, Kathmandu University
— Nepali PhD students STUDYING ABROAD with Nepal focus
— Early career academics in SPORT SCIENCE or SOCIAL SCIENCES
— Researchers at Nepal ACADEMY OF SPORT
— Postdocs with doctorates from 2024 or later
- IMPORTANT NOTES:
— NICHE — Olympic Studies ONLY — not general sport or development
— $6,000 is SMALL but access to IOC ARCHIVES in Lausanne is UNIQUE
— English or FRENCH applications
— PhD students must be CURRENTLY ENROLLED
— Early career = doctorate in or after 2024 — strictly applied
— 148+ researchers funded since 1999 — established, reputable programme
— ANNUAL programme — if you miss 2027, apply for 2028
— Research visits to LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND — extraordinary academic experience
— 42,000+ PUBLICATIONS accessible through Olympic World Library
— 1.5km of IOC HISTORICAL ARCHIVES — primary sources since 1894
— This is an ACADEMIC research grant — not for NGOs or development projects
— Must have ACADEMIC AFFILIATION — university, research institution
— Good for building INTERNATIONAL ACADEMIC PROFILE in sport studies
— Funded research is published and accessible — builds Nepal's visibility in Olympic scholarship
- CONTACT:
IOC Olympic Studies Centre
studies.centre@olympic.org
https://www.olympics.com/ioc/olympic-studies-centre
