The Sports Institute was represented by JProf. Dr. Helga Leineweber and Prof. Dr. Nils Neuber at the conference of the DGfE Commission for Sports Education in Osnabrück. The conference programme focused on the question of the extent to which current social challenges influence sports education and put it under pressure to transform. Helga Leineweber and Prof. Dr. Sabine Reuker from the German Sport University Cologne gave a presentation on diversity-sensitive teaching perception – a professional requirement that is particularly relevant for sports teachers. In addition, results from the ComeSport project were presented in the form of a poster. In this project, the departments of Education and Culture in Sport and Physical Education and Teaching Research in Sport are jointly working on the topic of “body image and social media” and preparing it for the further training of sports teachers and sports lessons.
As part of this year's Children's University, Dr Valeria Eckardt took around 160 third to seventh graders on a journey into the world of sports psychology. In her child-friendly lecture ‘Cheering makes you strong – the special power of fans in sport’, the sports psychologist explained why spectators are so important – and what happens when they are absent.
Manfred Kindermann, a long-serving and highly respected Senior Academic Officer at the Münster Institute of Sport Science, passed away on November 12, 2025, at the age of 87.
Stephanie Bünemann and Birte Brinkmöller enriched the second TrainerTalk with information on sports psychology, sports psychology counselling and cooperation between coaches, athletes and sports psychologists. They were supported by Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt.
TrainerTalk is organised by the Association for the Promotion of Competitive Sports in Münster, addresses coaches in and from Münster who are active in the field of competitive sports, and has now taken place for the second time.
From November 18 to 21, 2025, Maike Tietjens, Lena Henning, Hannah Hüttemann and Bernd Strauß participated in the SELF Conference and ERAS Conference 2025 in Singapore. The conference theme, “The Self in Context: Pathways to Flourishing, Learning, and Well-Being,” brought together researchers from around the world and offered diverse insights into topics such as self-concept, motivation, and learning—through both engaging symposia and keynotes by renowned scholars including Reinhard Pekrun, Richard Ryan, Emma Bradshaw, and Mimi Bong. Hannah Hüttemann presented a study on social influences on physical activity as well as a poster on self-concept and fitness among individuals with intellectual disabilities. Lena Henning presented a study on the stereotype threat effect in physical education.
Stephanie Bünemann at the “Dan športne psihologije”
On November 14th and 15th, Stephanie Bünemann was invited as a guest speaker to Ljubljana, Slovenia, for the “Dan športne psihologije” (Sports Psychology Day). In a workshop (14.11.) for sports psychologists and psychology students, she led a workshop on evidence-based interventions and discussion in relation to crisis interventions. The next day (15.11.), the actual Sports Psychology Day began, mainly for coaches. There, she had the opportunity to prepare and present her research on crises in teams for practical application in a lecture.
On Monday, Dr. Barbara Halberschmidt and Laura van de Loo were invited to a research colloquium at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg. There, they presented key findings on the topic of balancing university studies and elite sports.
Shortly before the completion of the “Dual Career” project, the colloquium provided an opportunity to give a comprehensive overview of the findings to date and to exchange experiences and developments with the participants. The focus was particularly on the content and implementation processes of the cooperation agreement “Partner University of Elite Sports,” to which both the University of Münster and the University of Oldenburg are affiliated.
As part of this year's World Schools Summit organised by T4 Education, Dr Marie Ghanbari participated as an invited expert in a panel discussion on the topic ‘Are Universities Becoming Irrelevant?’ The international debate brought together academics, educational innovators and decision-makers to discuss the future of higher education in a time of technological and social change.
