EXPERTS at the University of Stirling will research and promote education in sport as part of a collaboration.

Dr Hee Jung Hong, of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, will study the support available for dual career athletes who balance commitments to sporting careers as well as education and future employment.

Being an expert in sports career transition, she is working with colleagues in Poland, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Portugal and Spain in a £350,000 collaboration.

Dr Hong said: “The topic of dual career support is crucial for the University of Stirling, as we have a number of athletes who are planning ahead for their future careers by focusing on both sport and academia.

“This specific project will target junior athletes – those between 15 and 19 years old – to understand the challenges they face in combining sport and education and how they can overcome them.

“We will also look at how different countries approach dual career issues with junior athletes – and create a good practice database to enable transfer to other countries.

“Finally, we will educate junior athletes and those who support them in dual career opportunities by providing online and offline tools for improving awareness.”