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Richard Baka

Senior Lecturer, College of Sport & Exercise Science, Victoria University
Dr Baka has been employed at Victoria University since 1979 after emigrating from Canada where he earned a BA, BPE, MA and PhD in the sport and exercise science and sport management fields. He became an Adjunct Fellow at Victoria University in 2017. He previously taught a number of units of study including ‘Olympic Studies’, "Comparative and International Sport', ‘Personal Training” and the ‘Australian Sport and Fitness Delivery System’. He has also supervised postgraduate students and was responsible for administering student and staff exchange programs worldwide as part of his role in the College of Sport and Exercise Science .

His main area of research is related to the Olympic movement, especially Australia at the Olympics. He has attended and worked at seven Olympic Games in various capacities. Richard has authored a number of journal articles, co-edited an Olympics book titled On the Periphery: New Perspectives on the Olympic Movement and presented at many conferences worldwide including being a keynote speaker. He is currently acting as the Co-Director of the Olympic Research Network at Victoria University which has strong affiliations with similar Olympic Study Centres at UTS in Sydney, the University of Queensland, Western University in Canada, the German Sport University, California State Fullerton as well as the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Study Centre in Lausanne ,Switzerland. He is also a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians and has previously served on the Education Commission of the Victorian Olympic Council which is a state branch of the Australian Olympic Committee.

Richard is also an Honorary Faculty Member in the School of Kinesiology at Western University in London, Canada.

Cricket? Lacrosse? Netball? The new sports that might make it to the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games

Oct 25, 2023 05:33 am UTC| Sports

At the International Olympic Committees recent session in Mumbai, India it officially ratified five sports being added to the existing 28 core sports for the 2028 Los Angeles summer games. Of these five, several will be...

Economy

US Debt Tops $40 Trillion as Global Borrowing Costs Surge

U.S. government debt has surpassed $40 trillion for the first time, highlighting growing fiscal pressures as major economies face rising spending demands from ageing populations, defence, climate change and higher interest...

UK Budget Swings to Surprise £1.8 Billion Deficit in July

Britain recorded an unexpected 1.8 billion ($2.5 billion) budget deficit in July, as inflation-driven government spending outweighed record self-assessed income tax receipts, highlighting continued pressure on the UKs...

US Plans ‘Toughest Sanctions in History’ on Iran, Bessent Says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is preparing to impose sweeping new sanctions on Iran, reinforcing President Donald Trumps push to intensify economic pressure on Tehran amid ongoing tensions and...

South Korea Producer Prices Fall 0.4% in July

South Koreas producer prices fell in July for the first time in nearly a year, as lower global crude oil prices helped offset rising agricultural costs caused by extreme summer heat. The producer price index (PPI) declined...

Japan Inflation Rises, Boosting BOJ Rate Hike Bets

Japans inflation accelerated for a third consecutive month in July, strengthening expectations that the Bank of Japan could raise interest rates again in the coming months as underlying price pressures intensify. Japans...

Politics

Prince Harry Faces Potential Multi-Million-Pound Legal Bill in Daily Mail Case

Prince Harry could soon learn how many millions of pounds he and other claimants must pay toward the legal costs of the publisher of the Daily Mail after losing a high-profile privacy lawsuit. On Friday, London High Court...

Russia Arrests Nine Over Alleged Ukraine-Linked Attack Plans

Russian authorities have arrested nine people in separate cases involving alleged plans to target strategic infrastructure and government sites, according to state news agencies citing the Federal Security Service (FSB)....

Trump Eyes Kim Jong Un Summit as North Korea Sets Tough Terms

U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year, but Pyongyangs guarded response suggests renewed diplomacy could depend on major changes in U.S. policy toward...

Myanmar Military Pushes to Clear Land for Russia-Backed Dawei SEZ

Myanmars military has deployed hundreds of troops around the Russia-backed Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ), as authorities seek to revive the strategically important project in the countrys southern Tanintharyi Region....

Imran Khan Returns to Prison After Islamabad Hospital Visit

Pakistans former Prime Minister Imran Khan returned to prison on Friday after spending several hours overnight at an Islamabad hospital for a medical examination ordered by the countrys Supreme Court. Khan, 73, was...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Samsung Shares Rise on $72 Billion Shareholder Return Plan

Samsung Electronics shares climbed on Friday following reports that the South Korean technology giant is preparing a shareholder return package potentially exceeding 100 trillion won ($72 billion). Samsungs board is...

Alibaba Shares Fall as AI Spending Hits Profit

Alibaba shares dropped nearly 3% in Hong Kong trading on Friday after the Chinese technology giant reported a steep decline in quarterly profit, as aggressive artificial intelligence investment weighed on earnings and cash...

Samsung Eyes $72 Billion Shareholder Return Plan as AI Chip Boom Fuels Profits

Samsung Electronics is reportedly preparing a new shareholder return policy worth more than 100 trillion won ($71.75 billion), as booming demand for artificial intelligence chips drives expectations of record profits at...

SK Hynix Shares Surge on Record $28.6 Billion Buyback

SK Hynix shares staged a strong rebound on Thursday after the South Korean memory-chip giant announced a record 40 trillion won ($28.6 billion) share buyback and cancellation plan, providing fresh confidence to investors...

OpenAI Revenue Rises 18% in Q2 as Losses Widen and Anthropic Surges Ahead

OpenAI reported an 18% increase in second-quarter revenue, but widening losses and rapid growth at rival Anthropic are adding pressure on the ChatGPT maker, according to The Wall Street Journal. OpenAI told investors that...