Sino-German Symposia
Every two years, we organize an academic conference on current developments in Chinese sport, bringing together established scholars and early-career researchers from across Europe and China.
11th Sino-German Symposium, Cologne, 2026
Sport Governance in China and Germany | A Comparative Analysis of Asian and European Sport Development
Date: November 19-20, 2026
Format: hybrid (onsite, in-person and online)
Conference Languages: German, English, and Chinese (with consecutive interpretation)
Organised by: Institute of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies (GSU) and School of Management, Beijing Sport University
10th Symposium, Beijing, 2025
Sport in Transition: Navigating the Changing Landscapes of Elite and Leisure Sports
The 10th Sino-German Academic Symposium on Sport Development took place on 25 September 2025 at Beijing Sport University, marking a decade of academic exchange between Beijing Sport University and the German Sport University Cologne. Held under the theme Sport in Transition: Navigating the Changing Landscapes of Elite and Leisure Sports, the symposium explored the evolving relationship between elite and leisure sport from comparative Chinese and European perspectives.
The opening ceremony highlighted more than four decades of institutional cooperation and reaffirmed the commitment of both universities to strengthening future collaboration. The event also coincided with a reciprocal delegation visit from Beijing Sport University to the German Sport University Cologne, further reinforcing bilateral academic exchange.
The symposium featured keynote presentations by Prof. Dr. Daniel Memmert, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Mittag, and Danlin Wu (M.A.), addressing topics including artificial intelligence in sport, the governance and development of elite sport, and comparative perspectives on the integration of elite and leisure sport in China and Germany. A high-level panel discussion brought together leading scholars from both countries to examine the opportunities and challenges facing contemporary sport systems.
Established in 2012, the Sino-German Academic Symposium on Sport Development has become one of the leading platforms for academic dialogue on sport development between China and Germany. Since 2017, it has been hosted alternately in China and Germany, and in 2024 it was officially recognized by the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) as a major international academic conference.
Building on its continued success, the symposium will evolve into the Sino-German Sport Development – Annual Eurasian Sport Industry Conference. The next edition will be jointly hosted in Cologne in November 2026 by the Institute of European Sport Development and Leisure Studies and emlyon business school, further strengthening the integration of academic research and applied perspectives on sport development.