May/June 2024
By Shanna Saubert
Iconically symbolized by Pierre de Coubertin’s design of five interlaced rings representative of the colors in all nations’ flags, the Olympic Games bring the world together in both official and unofficial diplomatic capacities. It is one of the largest de facto international education exchange experiences in the world. Millions of spectators are collectively introduced to a showcase of nations and their peoples as professional and amateur athletes from around the world compete in various sporting events. In looking forward to the upcoming Paris 2024 Games, I am drawn to reflect and weave together the threads of my own expertise encompassing international relations, international education experiences, student engagement, and international sporting events. Here, I review insights from recent conversations with other international educators exploring how sports can bring people together and identify some ideas and opportunities to consider for advancing the field in this area.
Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 to focus on the values of excellence, respect, and friendship in sport (IOC 2024). To advance these principles and further the IOC’s vision of “Building a better world through sport, ” it has undertaken many initiatives:
- The first iteration of the Paralympic Games for athletes with disabilities was held in 1960.
- The first Youth Olympic Games were held in 2010 for athletes between 15 and 18 years old.
- The Olympic Agenda 2020, which was adopted in 2014, reformed the organization of the mega-event with a greater commitment to sustainability and an ambitious goal to be climate positive before 2030.
- The IOC formed the first IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Rio 2016 Games consisting entirely of athletes displaced from their home countries, in addition to Independent Olympians who have competed outside of national teams since 1980.
- In an effort to promote greater gender equality, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games includes equal numbers of quota places for male and female athletes and a gender-balanced schedule of events (IOC 2021; Olympic Games 2024).
Given these examples, when compared to wider societal trends, the Olympics often provide an aspirational model to follow, especially regarding inclusion and social responsibility. Thomas Bach, current IOC president, laid out this intention explicitly during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games’ opening ceremony when he told the competing athletes “you will show how the world could look like if we all respect the same rules and each other… In our fragile world, where division, conflict, and mistrust are on the rise, we show the world yes, it is possible to be fierce rivals while at the same time living peacefully and respectfully together” (Olympics 2022). In 2021, the IOC emphasized the importance of solidarity and the power of sports to unify different peoples by adding a single word to the end of its original 1894 motto, “Citius, Altius, Fortius—Communiter” (Faster, Higher, Stronger—Together) (IOC 2021).
The Olympic ethos to grow citizenry that simultaneously highlights individual success and national differences while celebrating the global collective is similar to that of international education. Consider these points from NAFSA’s stated mission, vision, and values: "NAFSA believes that international education advances learning and scholarship, fosters understanding and respect among people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, is essential for developing globally competent individuals, and builds leadership for the global community” (2024). It is this fostering of understanding and respect, often inherent in the work of international educators, that deserves more attention.
Though sports and education are seen as distinct domains in many places, in the United States, they merge into a unique amalgamation (Bran 2021). The ways in which U.S. institutions have arranged university athletics is unlike anywhere else. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, more than 10,000 athletes from 206 nations will be competing across 45 different sports—including a sizeable number of former and current student-athletes at U.S. higher education institutions (NCAA 2024b; USOPC 2024).
Student-Athletes at U.S. Universities
International education and exchange play a key role in the development of many elite athletes, as well as intercultural and diplomatic relations across the world, with a noted intersection between collegiate sports and internationalization efforts. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), “More than 25,000 international student-athletes across all three divisions participate in NCAA sports” (2024a), with soccer, tennis, and track and field attracting the highest numbers of international student-athletes to U.S. colleges and universities (NCAA 2023). The student-athletes contribute in a myriad of ways to these institutions and their communities while working toward their own personal and professional goals.
Recent legal decisions in the United States regarding collegiate athlete unionization and issues related to name, image, and likeness (NIL) have fueled discussions about the impact of sports on higher education. While domestic student-athletes have made some progress in these areas, international student-athletes are waiting on governmental guidance regarding their compensation potential given current income and employment restrictions tied to immigration regulations. All international students in the United States have to abide by the same laws and regulations but the designation of “athlete” can often be more distinctive as an overarching identity for student-athletes on college and university campuses.
Most intercollegiate athletes build strong cohesive communities with their teammates, and their identification with the role of “athlete” often supersedes those related to their academic majors or nationalities. These students often spend the greater part of their time outside of their classes as a team—at practice, in student residences, for meals, and during any free time they may have. The intense bonds that are formed between student athletes have a distinct parallel in those created between cohorts of international students and study abroad participants during their education experiences.
Orientations and Institutional Services
Students involved in mobility experiences go through their new university’s orientation, learning about academic requirements and obligations related to maintaining immigration compliance. In the days and weeks before the semester starts, these students are introduced to their new university environment with a variety of opportunities and institutional services that are available to them. However, depending on the institution, the athletics department may have communications and administrative processes with international student-athletes that are completely independent from those managed by the international office. In these cases, international student athletes may not be aware of the full range of services that the international office provides.
This siloed experience can often be traced back to institutional structures and traditions. International offices and athletics departments usually have different reporting lines ranging across academic affairs, student affairs, and the president’s or provost’s office. Institutional structures can sometimes change when athletic directors take groups of student athletes abroad for sports showcases and competitions, or as Sports Envoys and Global Sports Mentors (U.S. Department of State 2024), when those in the athletic department consult with the international office and benefit from international educators’ knowledge of the policies and procedures related to visas, healthcare, and insurance, and their expertise in risk management and security concerns overseas. Coordinating such efforts across various institutional departments presents opportunities for international educators to develop stronger connections in order to serve all students on their campuses.
Promoting “Communiter” On and Off Campus
International educators can work to build deeper connections with athletic directors and student-athletes. By doing so, they are synchronizing internationalization efforts that benefit the entire campus and the student body. Especially in Olympic years, institutions can claim the “Olympians & Paralympians Made Here” designation to celebrate the excellence of the athletes who participate in the games, where their experiences as international students or in their home countries are often highlighted. Yet, more can be done to build connections between student-athletes and students involved in international education and exchange by spreading the Olympic spirit of “Communiter” (i.e., togetherness) across college and university campuses during and between the Olympic and Paralympic cycles:
- Promote virtual and in-person international education exchange opportunities with (and as) host countries. While the Olympics occur every two years, the work of the international office on campus is continuous. Consider the Olympic ceremonies as examples of how to promote your university to prospective students and to advocate for current and future programs abroad. Think about how you can define the features that are unique to your campus and programming that deserve more recognition.
- Include student-athletes in targeted outreach. On U.S. campuses, student-athletes often have less latitude in what they do during their collegiate career between set academic coursework, strict training regimens, and formidable competition schedules. They are commonly held up as exemplars of athletic and academic success with incredible discipline. International offices can collaborate with other departments to provide and promote opportunities for student-athletes to engage with the wider student population in a way that can encourage greater integration on campus and cohesion among the student body. Customized short-term and virtual programming for athletes and those with an interest in sports could be another avenue for advancing internationalization efforts, increasing international and intercultural experiences for all involved.
- Build rapport and work stronger—together—across campus. It is very important that there are open communication lines between the international office and athletic departments to meet the needs of student-athletes, but it is equally important to consider other areas of overlap between sport and international exchange. One possibility involves working with campus recreation and student affairs to promote or create programming that encourages cross-cultural exchange for all students. Examples may include introducing new sports via trial experiences, holding watch parties for trial competitions and anyone on campus during the Olympic or Paralympic Games, or facilitating the formation of teams that include international students.
- Leverage students’ academic goals. Beyond sports, the international office can complement the work of academic departments to serve students more holistically. International educators can provide critical knowledge to positively affect important outcomes for faculty-led programs by concentrating on the local contexts within specific academic disciplines. Student internships can also be arranged for practical experiences in comparatively intense global environments, whether for sports, business, or other professional domains. Insightful virtual exchanges can also be facilitated through mutually beneficial partnerships with universities and faculty members abroad, building on the expertise of those involved. This intersecting work can be more fruitful when it leverages existing connections or the momentum leading up to and following global events like the Olympics and Paralympics.
- Utilize alumni networks for student-athletes and international exchange participants. When students come together in sport and international exchange, they build strong bonds through shared experiences, bonds that can even approximate those in a family unit. International educators can bridge the gaps by encouraging alumni interactions with prospective students and peer-to-peer networking. Providing more touchpoints with students during their higher education experience and as alumni can generate conversations and collaborations that span years.
Conclusion
There are many measures of success for higher education institutions that go beyond the academic dimensions. Intercollegiate athletics provide a unique paradigm by which to consider the recognition and celebration of excellence, utilizing the universal language and impact of sport. The global challenges the world is currently facing emphasize the need for and transformative power of interconnectedness and transnational collaboration, making the IOC’s stated purpose even more timely:
“The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” (IOC 2024)
These goals for a more peaceful and better world clearly align with the general aims of higher education institutions, and particularly international education. The student-athletes that come from and go abroad to further refine their skills, develop as future professionals, and compete on the world stage engage in their collegiate experience in distinctive ways that can provide intercultural bridges for others on campus. In recognizing the distinct experiences of student-athletes and acknowledging their potential in educating others about different cultures and experiences, international educators and higher education institutions can assemble greater alliances between current and future students with long-ranging diplomatic effects beyond campus.
References
Bran, Connor. 2021. “College Sports Proves Integral to Olympic Movement.” NCAA Media Center, July 23, 2021. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2021/7/23/general-college-sports-proves-integral-to-olympic-movement.aspx.
International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2024. “Olympic Values.” https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-values
International Olympic Committee (IOC). 2021. Olympic Agenda 2020+5. https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-agenda-2020-plus-5.
Olympics. 2022. “Full Closing Ceremony | #Beijing2022.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPYldRoEbZs.
Olympics. 2022. “#Beijing2022 Opening Ceremony! | Full Replay.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUs0iL5QOVI.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators. 2024. “Mission, Vision, Values.” Accessed March 29, 2024. https://www.nafsa.org/about/about-nafsa/mission-vision-values.
(NCAA) National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2024a. “International Student-Athlete Participation.” https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2018/3/21/international-student-athlete-participation.aspx.
(NCAA) National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2024b. “Olympians and Paralympians Made Here.” https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2019/7/23/olympians-made-here.aspx.
(NCAA) National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2023. Trends in the Participation of International Student-Athletes in NCAA Divisions I and II. NCAA Research. https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/demographics/2023RES_ISATrendsDivSprt.pdf.
(USOPC) United State Olympic & Paralympic Committee. 2024. “Paris 2024 Collegiate Resources.” https://www.usopc.org/2024college.
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 2024. “Sports Diplomacy.” https://eca.state.gov/sports-diplomacy.
Shanna Saubert, PhD, is the associate director for research and scholarship at NAFSA: Association of International Educators. In her role, she manages various programming initiatives, generates resources for the field, and serves as a staff partner with the Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship Knowledge Community. She has worked with international students in the United States and abroad, as well as with athletes from around the world at the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.