University of Thessaly (UTH)

The University of Thessaly (UTH), with 18 Departments and 4 Schools, is currently the fourth largest University in Greece. It is located in the area of central Greece with campuses in five different cities. It accommodates the educational needs of more than 10,000 students studying a wide range of courses from undergraduate to postgraduate covering a wide range of disciplines, including sport sciences and computer engineering.

Established in 1984, as part of its future goals UTH intends to strengthen cooperation abroad, increase its human resources, attract young scientists and encourage research. Despite its young age, it demonstrates a remarkable presence in the academic ranking of universities. Most of its Departments have been positively evaluated by international visiting Committees, based on the considerable research and scientific performance of the academic staff and the high quality teaching programmes.

The University of Thessaly is steadily attracting high quality professors and personnel from Greece and abroad and continuously upgrading its services to the industry, central and local government and society. Despite the difficult financial situation, UTH succeeds in further attracting Research & Development programmes, fully exploiting the capacities and expertise of its faculties and staff.

The Department of Physical Education and Sport Science (DPESS) was established 21 years ago. It has 22 academic faculty staff, 9 teaching and laboratory staff and 11 technical and administrative staff. This project will be led by Professor Athanasios Papaioannou, in the DPESS. The objectives of DPESS are to: promote public awareness of the importance of physical activity as a main contributor to the improvement of health and quality of life; cultivate and promote Physical Education and Sports Science through theoretical and applied teaching and research; provide graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary for their scientific and career development; contribute to the advancement of Greek Sports and to promote the ideals of sportsmanship, ethical behaviour and fair play; and to promote exercise levels of the Greek population. Faculty members of the DPESS strive through