Adam North LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-north-691589156/ adam.north@postgard.manchester.ac.uk Website: https://manchester.academia.edu/AdamNorth Thesis Title The Body as Object and Performance: Gestures as a Form of Socio-Political Critique The University of Manchester

During the 18th and 22nd of September, I attended the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport (IAPS) conference held in Split, Croatia. The opportunity to travel abroad and network with a group of experts from across the world was an incredibly useful and unforgettable experience. I presented a 30-minute paper titled “The Increasing Political Power of the Sporting Gesture: Athletes and Alternative Forms of Communication” to an audience of experts in the field of philosophy of sport. I considered this an essential moment in furthering my public speaking skills, as well as developing my ability to respond to questions from the audience. Thankfully I was able to deliver a talk that engaged the audience and opened doors to future collaboration with several colleagues. One such opportunity is being asked to write a chapter in an upcoming sports and politics book, which has demonstrated to me the value of attending conferences like this. Additionally, owing to the social nature of the conference, and the activities that took place in the downtime afterwards, I was able to form relationships with respected scholars in my research field, which will undoubtedly be important for my future academic career. In discussing my work with a variety of people at the conference, I was able to gauge interest in my research and develop ideas further. I was given plenty of good advice on how to grow my academic profile and potentially act as a consultant for sporting institutions or regulatory bodies, which I will now act to implement. Ultimately, the conference proved to be interesting, fun, and fruitful, and I hope to attend many more in the future.

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