In a letter dated March 23, 1989, Jan Van Fleet notified Bert Taylor, Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education, that the Board of Governors on recommendation of the University of Western Ontario Senate had approved the establishment of the Centre for Olympic Studies.
In March 1997, Senate approved a name change to the International Centre for Olympic Studies. Now in March 2009, within the Faculty of Health Sciences, the International Centre for Olympic Studies celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Since the doors opened 20 years ago, 40,000 students, faculty, staff and researchers have visited the centre to utilize books, journals, rare collections, microfilm and personal papers.
Its fifth location, presently on the third floor of the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, provides natural light, multiple work stations, reading areas and easy access to collections, ensured by the helpful staff of graduate and workstudy students.
Over the 20-year period, with the academic freedom granted by the university, the Executive Council and respective directors have promoted independent research on the Olympic Games, within various socio-cultural disciplines.
The centre is the only facility that is autonomous from national Olympic committees and the International Olympic Committee.
The International Centre for Olympic Studies at Western is always ‘first call’ for major news outlets of the world when Olympic issues arise. Also part of the centre’s mission, the International Journal of Olympic Studies, OLYMPIKA, published at Western, is at Volume XVIII in press for 2009.
The 9th Olympic Symposium was held in Beijing, China in the summer of 2008. And, finally, under the auspices of the School of Kinesiology, ICOS organizes the annual lecture series of three honour addresses, the Ioannides, Zeigler and Crocker lectures.
On March 27 at 3 p.m. in room 240 of the Arthur and Sonia Labatt Health Sciences Building, the centre and the faculty’s School of Kinesiology present the 19th annual J. Howard Crocker Olympic Studies lecture.
A pivotal figure in Canada’s participation in the Olympic Games, John Howard Crocker became director of Physical Education at Western in 1930. Previously, Crocker had been manager of the Canadian Olympic team in London, England in 1908 and was honourary manager from 1912 to 1956.
Crocker’s legacy remains permanent in the centre, thanks to the collection donated by his family. Over the past 19 years, the Crocker lecture has been delivered by outstanding international scholars, including Roberta Park, Doug Booth, John Bale and Roland Renson and by significant Olympic administrative figures, such as Richard Pound, Carol Anne Letheren, and David Leighton.
Who better to deliver the Crocker lecture during this milestone anniversary than Professor Emeritus and founding ICOS director, Robert Barney.
Barney conceived the idea of the centre in 1985 and brought it to fruition in 1989. He has been the stalwart figure behind the centre, resting its foundation on training graduate students, obtaining important collections and promoting the study of the Olympic Games.
Having officially retired in 1996, but continuing to work tirelessly in the promotion of Olympic Studies, at age 77 he supervises graduate students and teaches a graduate course each year, while serving as the interim director of the centre in 2008-2009.
His publication record easily tops 100 entries with several books, articles and chapters, including a recent award-winning book on Olympic commercialization and one to be published shortly on the Salt Lake City scandal.
The title of Barney’s address is ‘Tsar Nicholas’ Comrade in Arms: Major General Sir John Hanbury-Williams, Canada’s First IOC Member.’
All are welcome to attend.
The writer is acting dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences.