Inge Derom

Prof. Inge Derom is a prominent academic at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel's Faculty of Movement and Sport Sciences. Her work focuses on sports policy, event impact analysis, and social inclusion through sport. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology from the University of British Columbia and an MA in Human Kinetics from the University of Windsor.

Her research explores topics such as Olympic legacy, volunteer management, and the societal value of elite sport. Notable projects include analyzing hosting policies across Europe and evaluating the social impact of major events like the Tour de France and World Cycling Championships. She has received the Gaston Beunen VBSW-award (2021) for her contributions to sport science.

• Key affiliations: VUB's SPLISS research group, Flemish sports policy advisory roles
• Leadership: Principal investigator for 14 funded projects since 2018
• Media engagement: Regular contributor on sport-related social issues for Belgian media

Her recent work emphasizes gender equality in sport and designing actionable policies for clubs through tools like the Football & Social Responsibility (FSR) guidelines. She supervises interdisciplinary research teams addressing sport's role in prisons, urban development, and youth empowerment.