Students from 10 universities to compete in final of International Olympic Case Study Competition
The final of the fifth edition of the International Olympic Case Study Competition (CSC) – which recorded the highest participation since its launch – will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 March 2026.
Key facts
- The fifth edition of the CSC brought together a record 36 universities.
- Students from 10 universities will compete in the final, including the competition’s first-ever African institution.
- For the first time, the international final will be held in person – at the Olympic Museum on 24 March 2026.
The International Olympic Case Study Competition continues to expand as a global academic initiative at the intersection of sport, education and research. Since its launch in 2021 with 18 participating universities, the competition has doubled in scale, bringing together 36 institutions for the 2025/2026 edition. The final of this fifth edition will be held in person for the first time – at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 24 March 2026.
Organised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Olympic Studies Centre, in collaboration with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Germany) and the European University of Madrid (Spain), the CSC is designed as a problem-based learning programme. It invites students to apply academic knowledge to contemporary challenges in sports management through applied research and collaborative analysis. This year’s edition focuses on the theme “Accompanying and Supporting Young Elite Athletes”.
Structured around two separate categories for undergraduate and master’s students, the competition unfolds in several stages. Teams initially work within their respective universities before advancing to the international phase. Following this process, 10 finalist teams – six for master’s students and four for undergraduates – qualified for the final and will present their solutions before an international jury composed of academic specialists and sports professionals.
Finalists
- German Sport University Cologne (GER)
- Ibn Tofail University (MAR)
- International University of Monaco (MON, 2024/2025 winners)
- KU Leuven (BEL)
- UFR3S University of Lille (FRA)
- University of Tübingen (GER, winners of the 2021/2022 edition)
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Corvinus University of Budapest (HUN)
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European University of Madrid (ESP)
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Syracuse University (USA)
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University of Guelph (CAN, winners of the 2024/2025 edition)
The 2025/2026 edition reflects the growing international reach of the CSC. Corvinus University of Budapest, Syracuse University and Ibn Tofail University will all be making their first appearance in the final. The latter has already marked a milestone by becoming the first African university to participate in the event.
The final presentations will be livestreamed for both the master’s and undergraduate categories.