The conference is hosted by Maynooth University Chinese Studies in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Association of Sport Studies, the Association of China-Ireland Academics, University College Cork Confucius Institute and Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture. The theme of the conference is: “Building Bridges Across Boundaries – The Role of Athletic and Cultural Activities in Diplomacy and Global Engagement.” Scholars and practitioners from multidisciplinary backgrounds will gather in Ireland to explore key issues and highlight the latest developments in their respective fields.
Key Themes
- Cross-cultural communication and understanding
- Cultural heritage and identity
- Tourism and cultural exchange
- Diplomacy through cultural activities
- Sports diplomacy and soft power
- Educational and cultural exchange programmes, and people-to-people connections
- Legal and ethical aspect of cultural exchange activities
International Conference
Building Bridges Across Boundaries – The Role of Cultural and Athletic Activities
30 October – 1 November 2026
National University of Ireland Maynooth
Schedule
30 October
14:00-17:00 Registration
31 October (Day One)
Venue: Iontas Building, Room 1.24
09:00-09:10 Conference Opening
Prof. Alison Hood, Dean of Arts and Humanities, Maynooth University
Prof. Peter Herrmann, European Academy of Sciences and Arts
Alejandra Black, Taylor & Francis Group
09:10-11:05 Session One (Chair: Dr. Ciaran Reilly)
09:10-09:40 Keynote Presentation: A Neglected Bridge: The Time Dimension
Prof. Wray Vamplew, University of Stirling
09:40-09:50 Q&A
09:50-10:10 Geophysical Culture? Strength, Heritage and the Movement of Physical Traditions Across Borders
Dr. Conor Heffernan, Ulster University
10:10-10:30 Peace as a Floating Signifier in the Context of International Sport
Dr. Jung Woo Lee, University of Edinburgh
10:30-10:50 The Rise of Asian Consciousness and the Development of the Asian Games (1913-2026)
Prof. Fan Hong, Bangor University
10:50-11:05 Q&A
11:05-11:20 Tea Break
11:20-12:20 Session Two (Chair: Dr. Liu Weiming)
11:20-11:40 Years of Sino-American Table Tennis Diplomacy: Concepts and Insights into People-to-People Diplomacy
Prof. Deng Zhonghao, Sichuan University
11:40-12:00 Sports Diplomacy and the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind: A Contemporary Interpretation of Marx’s Theory of World History
Dr. Liu Zhengfang, Sichuan University
12:00-12:20 Q&A
12:30-13:30 Lunch Break (Phoenix Restaurant)
13:30-15:10 Session Three (Chair: Prof. Wray Vamplew)
13:30-14:00 Keynote Presentation: The Practice and Experience of Chinese Modernization
Prof. Jiang Yongmu, Sichuan University
14:00-14:10 Q&A
14:10-14:30 The Interactive Co-Progression of the Sinicization of Marxism and the Modernization of Confucianism
Dr. Liu Lisha, Sichuan University
14:30-14:50 Historical Forms of Socialist Spatial Production: The Third Front Construction and the Origins of Inland Industrial Urban Space in Sichuan (1964–1980)
Prof. Liao Yuhan, Sichuan University
14:50-15:10 Q&A
15:10-15:30 Tea Break
15:30-16:50 Session Four (Chair: Dr. Jung Woo Lee)
15:30-15:50 AI Technology Made Open Source to Empower Intelligent Civilization
Prof. Hu Fang, Sichuan University
15:50-16:10 Culture through GenAI: Rethinking cultural encounters in language education
Dr. Liu Weiming, Dublin City University
16:10-16:30 Computer Technology and Intercultural Communication
Dr. Joseph Timoney, Maynooth University
16:30-16:50 Q&A
17:30-19:30 Dinner (Orient, Maynooth Main Street)
1 November (Day Two)
Venue: Iontas Building, Room 1.24
09:00-10:50 Session One (Chair: Dr. Conor Heffernan)
09:00-09:30 Keynote Presentation: Paradox of Our Time: Soft Policies as Warrant against Hard Political Confrontation (Online)
Prof. Peter Herrmann, Central South University
09:30-09:40 Q&A
09:40-10:10 Railways and the Sino-Lao Relations (Online)
Prof. Qin Bo, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
10:10-10:30 Golf and the Power Elite: The History of Golf Diplomacy and Politics in Thailand and Southeast Asia (Online)
Dr. Brett M Bennett, Western Sydney University
10:30-10:50 Q&A
10:50-11:10 Tea Break
11:10-12:30 Session Two (Chair: Dr. Lu Zhouxiang)
11:10-11:30 Language, Embodied Practice and People-to-People Connections in China-Ireland Cultural Exchange: From Chinese Language Education and WeChat Communication to Yoga
Dr. Ni Jun, Technological University Dublin
11:30-11:50 From ‘Going Abroad’ to ‘Competing on Home Turf’: the Huanji IFBB Competition System and Pro Bodybuilding in China
Mr. Xiao Luo, Huanji/Beijing Sport University & Prof. Xuemei Cui, Langfang Normal University
11:50-12:10 Digital Inheritance Paths of Sports Intangible Cultural Heritage
Dr. Zhang Jie, Shenzhen University
12:10-12:30 Q&A
12:30-13:30 Lunch Break (Phoenix Restaurant)
13:30-16:05 Session Three (Chair: Dr. Mengdi Wang)
13:30-14:00 Keynote Presentation: Reasons for Su Chao Success (Online)
Prof. Jean-Loup Chappelet, University of Lausanne
14:00-14:10 Q&A
14:10-14:30 Sport and Development in Indonesia
Prof. Amung Ma’mun and Dr. Syarifatunnisa, Indonesia University of Education
14:30-14:50 Governmental Conceptions of Sport in Indonesia: The Historical Evolution from Diplomatic Capital to Developmental and Competitive Capital
Dr. Anira, Indonesia University of Education
14:50-15:05 Tea Break
15:05-15:25 The Gaelic Athletic Association and Cultural Identity
Dr. Ciaran Reilly, Maynooth University
15:25-15:45 Martial Arts and the Construction of Chineseness in the Southeast Asian Diaspora, 1800s-1930s
Dr. Lu Zhouxiang, Maynooth University
15:45-16:05 Q&A
16:05-16:10 Conference Closing: Remarks by Prof. Fan Hong
