Vladimir Nikolaevich Platonov

Vladimir Nikolaevich Platonov (born 28 July 1941) is a Soviet and Ukrainian scientist who currently serves as the Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Theory and Methods of Olympic Training and Advanced Training for Coaching Staff at the Research Centre of the Educational and Scientific Olympic Institute of the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine.

Platonov graduated from the Kyiv State Institute of Physical Culture (now the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine) in 1962. He worked as a coach from 1962 to 1965 and studied in the Ph.D. program at the KSIPC from 1965 to 1968. He was awarded the academic degree of Candidate of Science in 1969 and the academic degree of Doctor of Science in Pedagogy in 1979.^[1]

From 1969 to 1975, Platonov began his academic career as an assistant professor before advancing to senior lecturer at the Kyiv Institute of National Economy. He also served as a senior fellow at the Problem Research Laboratory of High Training Loads at KSIPC. Over the years, he held several academic and administrative positions: Head of the Department of Swimming at KSIPC (1975–1977); Vice-Rector for Scientific Research at KSIPC (1977–1986); and Head of the Department of Theory of Sports, which he established at KSIPC (1984–1990).

Platonov later led the Department of Olympic and Professional Sport at KSIPC, which was eventually renamed the Ukrainian State University of Physical Education and Sport (USUPES). He continued his work at the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (NUUPES) from 1992 to 2000. In 1993, he was recognized as an Academician of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.

From 2003 to 2005, he headed the Department of Theory and Methodology of Sports Preparation and Athlete Reserve Capacities at NUUPES. Platonov also served as Rector of KSIPC, USUPES, and NUUPES from 1992 to 2012. Between 1990 and 2000, he directed the book series Sports Preparation published by Paidotribo (Spain).

Later roles included Professor of the Department of History and Theory of Olympic Sport (2012–2024), Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Science in Olympic Sport (2012–present), and Principal Researcher at the Educational and Scientific Olympic Institute of NUUPES (2024–present).

Platonov's range of scientific interests includes the history and present state of the Olympic movement, Olympic and professional sports, the system of preparation of elite athletes, sports selection, and problems of doping, overtraining, and sports injuries.

He has written 102 publications, including over 30 textbooks, monographs, manuals, and encyclopedic editions, as well as numerous articles and large-scale work on the professional development of professionals, particularly coaching staff.^[2]

From 1981 to 2020, he was a part of the Specialized Academic Council for the defense of dissertations in physical education and sport. He defended over 600 dissertations for the degrees of Doctor and Candidate of Sciences. He was also a member of the Expert Council on Pedagogy and Psychology of the USSR Higher Attestation Commission from 1987 to 1991.

Platonov headed the University for 26 years (1986–2012)^[3] and, before the end of his contract, he decided to move to research work, having received the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. In 1993, the Kyiv State Institute of Physical Culture was transformed into the Ukrainian State University of Physical Education and Sport with the highest level of accreditation, and, in 1998, into the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine.^[4] Relations were established with educational literature, for example, Revue EPS (France), Paidotribo (Spain), Philippka (Germany), Blackwell (Great Britain), Calzetti Mariucci (Italy), Artmed (Brazil), and other countries, including China.

Co-operation with other companies allowed the equipping of the Olympic Style with training and research equipment from TechnoGym, and the research institute of the University, produced by Cosmed. On the same basis, the sports trauma clinic's establishment was initiated by the sports traumatologist Professor V.M. Levenets; the sports and educational centers for shooting, billiard sports, bowling, etc., were also provided with equipment.^[3]

He was the head of the scientific group of the national swimming team of Ukraine (1970–1988), scientific consultant of the USSR national teams in swimming (1975–1982), cycling (1977–1991), handball (men and women, 1980–1991), member of the scientific group on preparation and implementation of the concept of preparation of the USSR national team for the Olympic Games in 1984–1992, and head of the program of scientific and methodological support for the preparation of the national teams of Ukraine for the Olympic Games (1992–2012).

The publishing house Olympic Literature was established in 1994 in the NUUPES on the initiative of V.N. Platonov.^[5]

He is an Honorary Doctor (Professor) at some of the largest universities in Europe, Asia, and America.^[2]

• Order of the Badge of Honour (1982)
• Medal "For Labour Valour" (1988)
• Medal "For Many Years of Conscientious Work" (1990)

• Merited Worker of Science and Technology of the Ukrainian SSR (1990)
• Order of Merit, 3rd class (1997)
• Laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of Science and Technologies (1999)
• Honorable diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2005)
• Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 5th class (2006)
• Order of Merit, 2nd class (2009)
• Order of Merit, 1st class (2021)

• Order of the Polar Star (Mongolia, 2011)

• Olympic Order of the International Olympic Committee (2001)
• Laureate of the State Sports Committee of the USSR award "For the best research work in the field of physical culture and sports" (twice, in 1981 and 1987)
• Award of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (2003)
• Gold medal of the International Personnel Academy "For merits in education" (2003)
• Order "For merits", 1st class of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (2011)
• Laureate of the NOC of Ukraine award "For the best scientific book of the year" (four times, in 2006, 2011, 2013, and 2021)
• Order of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan
• Olympic Order of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (2015)
• Olympic Order of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (2016)
• Order of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport Universities (2017)

• Visiting Professor at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Physical Education (1994)
• Honorary Professor of the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport (1998)
• Honorary Professor of the Kazakh Academy of Sport and Tourism (2001)
• Honorary Doctor of the Józef Piłsudski Academy of Physical Education (Poland, 2003)
• Honorary Professor of the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education (2004)
• Honorary Doctor of the Kharkiv State Academy of Physical Culture (2004)
• Honorary Doctor of the Russian University of Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism (2004)
• Honorary Doctor of the Kazakh Academy of Sport and Tourism (2004)
• Honorary Doctor of the Vassil Levski National Sports Academy (Bulgaria, 2006)
• Honorary Professor of the Jędrzej Śniadecki Academy of Physical Education (Poland, 2008)
• Honorary Professor of the Universidad Iberoamericana (Venezuela, 2009)
• Honorary Doctor of the National University of Physical Education and Sport of Moldova (2010)
• Honorary Doctor of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Bucharest (2011)
• Honorary Doctor of the Mongolian National Institute of Physical Education (2011)
• Honorary Doctor of the Uzbek State University of Physical Culture (2012)
• Honorary Doctor of the Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Culture and Sport (2015)
• Honorary Doctor of Beijing Capital University of Physical Education and Sports (2017)
• Honorary Doctor of the Georgian State Teaching University of Physical Education and Sports (2018)
• Honorary Professor and Scientific Advisor of Beijing Institute for International Olympic Studies (2019)
• Honorary Professor of the Urgench State University of Uzbekistan (2021)
• Honorary Doctor of the Uzbek State University of Physical Education and Sport (2021)

• Платонов В. Н (1984). Теория и методика спортивной тренировки [Theory and technique of sports training] (in Russian). Київ: Вища школа. p. 336.
• Платонов В. Н., Вайцеховский С. М (1985). Тренировка пловцов высокого класса [Training of high-class swimmers] (in Russian). Москва: Физкультура и спорт. p. 256.
• Platonov V. N., Bulatova M. M. Encіclopedіa general del ejercicio. La preparation fisica. Barcelona: Paidotribo. p. 407.
• Платонов В. Н., Гуськов С. И (1994). Олимпийский спорт: [учебник]: в 2 кн [Olympic sport] (in Russian). Vol. 1. Киев: Олимпийская литература. p. 496.
• Платонов В. Н., Гуськов С. И (1997). Олимпийский спорт: [учебник]: в 2 кн [Olympic sport] (in Russian). Vol. 2. Киев: Олимпийская литература. p. 384.
• Płatonow W. N (1997). Trening wyczynowy w ptywaniu struktura i programy. Warszawa: Resortowe Centrum Metodyczno-Szkoleniowe Kultury Fizycznej i Sportu.
• Platonow V. N., Guskov S.I (1997). Olympic sport. Kyiv: Olympic literature. p. 368.^[6]
• Bulatova M.M., Platonov V. N (2015). Libro 5. Selection, orientaciôn, direction y control en el sistema de preparation de deportistas. Cali: Programa Editorial Universidad del Valle.

• Website
• Platonov Vladimir Nikolaevich on the National University of Ukraine on Physical Education and Sport