International Student Athletes
December 24, 2011
International students choose to study in the United States for a variety of reasons, including excellent educational opportunities and the experience of a new culture. Many international students may not realize the integral role that collegiate sports play in American culture and on university campuses. Participating in the fanfare that goes along with these teams can greatly enhance an international student’s experience. There are also opportunities for international students to participate on sports teams.
A great example of international sports exchange is the Chinese Champions Program, a partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Beijing Sports University, which allows elite Chinese athletes to study and experience the United States for a nine month period “to build their English, science, leadership and coaching skills.” The students attend classes on campus and experience unique aspects of the American culture during their breaks, such as visiting Wisconsin farms to learn about local agriculture. This fall, the students were introduced to their peers during a football game at Camp Randall Stadium. According to Qiu Hongxia, “to be in a sea of 80,000 people wearing red [UW-Madison’s school color] is a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”
Alternatively, the US is looking to introduce its sports programs abroad. The New York Times reports that Larry Scott, commissioner of the Pacific-12 Conference (PAC-12), which is a collegiate sports conference, recently visited China to explore the possibility of expansion with games and their television network in the next three to five years. PAC-12 officials hope that this “apparently unprecedented effort by a college sports league to establish itself in a foreign country” will showcase their universities to international students, while also adding to the cultural experience for American students who travel to China. Chinese sports executives are interested in the PAC-12’s ideas because they are “intrigued by America’s unique model of collegiate sports, and that there was a need for knowledge of organization and administration of sports leagues,” according to the article.
There are opportunities for international students who have maintained their amateurism to become members of athletic teams on campuses in the United States. If you’d like to learn more, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) provides guidance on necessary eligibility requirements.
Sources:
UW-Madison Welcomes New Group of China’s Champions, University of Wisconsin-Madison News
Chinese Champions Visit Cranberry and Ginseng Growers, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of International Studies
Chinese Champions Welcomed at Camp Randall, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of International Studies
This Time, Pac-12 Expansion Could Be in Another Country, The New York Times
International Student-Athletes, National Collegiate Athletic Association
Tags: Athletics
