A researcher adjusts the oxygen headpiece on an athlete who is riding an exercise bike in the UQ gym

Initiatives

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

Featured projects

Youth Game Changers

UQ Youth Game Changers 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.

Para START

The Para START 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

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

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

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 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

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

Partners/funding

  • Olympism 365 Innovation Hub grant

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

Partners/funding

  • Australian Research Council Discovery Project