Keynote Speakers

Professor Cao is currently the Party Secretary and Director-General of China Institute of Sport Science (CISS). He was promoted to professor in 2002 and subsequently took on leadership roles including serving as the team leader for several Chinese national teams, as well as holding positions as Deputy Director of sports program centers, and Deputy Director-General in both the Department of Science, Technology and Education and the Department of Competition and Training under the General Administration of Sport of China.

As the scientific research coach for the China National Canoeing Team and team leader for the China National Rowing Team, he contributed significantly to achieving historic Olympic gold medals in the Men's Canoe Double and Women's Quadruple Sculls events. He has received several distinguished honors, including the Outstanding Scientific and Technological Contribution Award for the 28th Olympic Games (Individual), the Second Prize of the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (2006), and the Outstanding Contribution Award for the Preparation of the Beijing Olympic Games (2008), among others. He has published over 40 papers in leading Chinese academic journals such as <China Sport Science>. At present, he serves as the Principal Investigator of a National Key R&D Program of China for "Active Health" and as the Lead Expert for a Major Program of the National Social Science Fund of China. Additionally, he serves as the Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of China Sport Science Society (CSSS), Chairman of Chinese Association of Biomechanics in Sports of China Sport Science Society, and Editor-in-Chief of <China Sport Science> and <China Sport Science and Technology>.

Damir Sekulic is a Full Professor at the University of Split and an internationally recognized expert in sport performance research. Alongside his academic career, he has extensive experience in elite sport as a strength and conditioning coach, including his role with the Croatian national water polo team during the Olympic Games in Atlanta, where the team won a silver medal, as well as with the Croatian national sailing team, contributing to more than 20 medals at European and World Championships.

His research is primarily focused on agility and sport-specific testing, significantly advancing the understanding of reactive agility and its application in elite sport.

He has authored more than 200 Web of Science-indexed publications, with nearly 5,000 citations, including multiple highly cited papers (300-400+ citations), and has been ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide (Stanford University list) for two consecutive years.

Professor Sekulic has led several nationally and EU-funded research projects and has supervised more than 15 PhD theses in Croatia and internationally. He is a recipient of the Croatian National Award for Science (2017), and the FIEPS Thulin Award (2026).