# Initiatives

**Source**: https://about.uq.edu.au/faculties-institutes/hmbs/schools-institutes-centres/qcops/initiatives
**Parent**: https://about.uq.edu.au/faculties-institutes/bel/about/contact

Discover QCOPS' current initiatives and research projects.

QCOPS strives to better society through research and projects that prioritise sport and physical wellbeing.

To learn more about any of our current research projects, email [cops@uq.edu.au](mailto:cops@uq.edu.au)

## Featured projects

### Youth Game Changers

[UQ Youth Game Changers](https://stories.uq.edu.au/young-queenslanders-changing-the-game-on-brisbane-2032-legacy/index.html#article) is a joint initiative of QCOPS, the Matthew Flinders Discovery Institute and the Queensland Academy of Sport.

This 3-day residential learning experience aims to foster a generation of young people who are passionate about using the power of the upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games to build positive legacies for their communities.

The inaugural summit was held at UQ in November 2023, and gathered student-athletes from South East Queensland high schools to design youth-focused initiatives related to inclusion, sustainability and connectivity in sport.

#### Get involved in Youth Game Changers

The next Game Changers summit is scheduled for **November 2025.**

To learn more about the event or to lodge an expression of interest for your school to participate, email [cops@uq.edu.au](mailto:cops@uq.edu.au).

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### Para START

The [Para START sport training program](https://hmns.uq.edu.au/community-services/services/parastart-sport-training-program) is a longitudinal study that investigates the therapeutic benefits of sports training for individuals with high support needs cerebral palsy.

A multidisciplinary team comprising doctors, physiotherapists, exercise physiologists, sports psychologists and exercise scientists delivers a sports-specific training program. They then investigate the impact this has on gross motor function, strength, fitness, bone mineral density and overall wellbeing of athletes.

This program differs from other projects in its field as it highlights the benefits of sports training for people with high support needs disabilities, rather than the conventional rehabilitation methods. It has the dual benefit of both identifying potential future Paralympians and developing a foundational body of knowledge on the best training methods for athletes with high support needs.

#### Researchers

- [Associate Professor Sean Tweedy](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/225)
- [Associate Professor Emma Beckman](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/1536)
- Dr Iain Dutia
- Dr Mark Connick
- Jennifer O’Sullivan
- Bridget Dodds

#### Partners/funding

- Queensland Academy of Sport
- Paralympics Australia
- Swimming Australia

#### Join the Para START program

We're currently accepting referrals into the Para START sports training program.

To find out more, email [parastart@uq.edu.au](mailto:parastart@uq.edu.au)

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### UQ Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame

This digital archive project honours the legacy of UQ’s Olympians and Paralympians, celebrating their remarkable journeys and inspiring future generations.

The Hall of Fame will profile a diverse range of athletes, para-athletes and support staff, showcasing not only their achievements in sport, but also their careers following retirement from elite competition.

This flagship Brisbane 2032 legacy project will celebrate UQ's Alumni network and wider community connected through sport.

#### Researchers

- [Dr Stephen Townsend](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/24538)
- [Professor John Cairney](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/25474)
- [Professor Bruce Abernethy](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/222)

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### IOC safe sport regional hub initiative feasibility study: Pacific region

UQ is collaborating with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on a project to combat interpersonal violence in sport in the Pacific Islands.

We will conduct an extensive feasibility study for the [IOC’s Safe Sport Hub Initiative](https://www.olympics.com/ioc/safe-sport/safe-sport-regional-hub-initiative) to support the subsequent set-up of a regional safeguarding hub in the Pacific Islands.

The hub will facilitate access to local contextualised support for those experiencing interpersonal or gender-based violence in sport, strengthen localised protection, and improve cooperation and coordination between local sport- and non-sport-based safeguarding systems and services.

Aligning with existing regional initiatives and key IOC initiatives, the hub will play a critical role in protecting and supporting athletes at a local level.

#### Researchers

- [Professor John Cairney](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/25474)
- [Dr Samantha Mulcahy](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/29768)
- [Dr George Thomas](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/39132)
- [Dr Veronique Richard](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/36239)
- [Dr Stephen Townsend](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/24538)

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### Digitalisation of the Support Needs Assessment Tool

This project is leading the co-design and development of a web-based version of the Support Needs Assessment Tool–Sports and Exercise (SNAT-SE). The tool is designed to assist coaches in assessing the support needs of people with disabilities wishing to participate in sport and exercise.

#### Researchers

- [Dr Jessica Hill](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/29928)
- Dr Martin O’Flaherty
- [Associate Professor Sjaan Gomersall](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/7683)

#### Partners/funding

- Olympism 365 Innovation Hub grant

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### Torres Strait Islander history: sport, culture and identity

This project aims to investigate sport as a means of understanding the cultures, identities and history of Torres Strait Islanders.

Through a community-centred approach, and a project team including Torres Strait Islanders, the project challenges versions of Australian history that marginalise the Strait or conflate Islanders with Aboriginal people.

Expected outcomes of this project include:

- a more nuanced history of Indigenous Australia
- a significant body of repatriated resources on Islander sport
- increased involvement of Islander communities in the history-making process.

Anticipated benefits include a multifaceted contribution to reconciliation and better understanding of our unique and complex national identity.

#### Researchers

- [Associate Professor Gary Osmond](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/1250)
- [Professor Murray Phillips](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/921)
- [Mr Al Harvey](https://about.uq.edu.au/experts/29008)

#### Partners/funding

- Australian Research Council Discovery Project