FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Bo Li, a University of Arkansas doctoral student in recreation and sport management, will speak from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, in Room 316 of the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building. It is free and open to the public.

His talk, titled “Different Perceptions of Coach-Athlete Relationships between Chinese Olympians and Western Olympians,” is part of the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation Research Seminar Series. 

Li will also present the research at the 2015 Global Sport Business Association conference in Nassau, Bahamas. His study examined the degree to which the coach-athlete relationship has shaped and contributed to elite athletes’ performances and whether differences in this relationship exist between Chinese Olympians and Western Olympians. He found that Chinese Olympians have higher satisfaction than Western Olympians in terms of the commitment of coach and dedication of time of their coaches. Western athletes described their relationship as a partnership, but Chinese Olympians described relationships as paternal.

The purpose of the seminar series is to expose students and faculty to research being conducted in the department. Refreshments will be served.