his is a presentation on effectively using sports diplomacy in education and internationalization of local communities. It was presented by Ms. Inessa Stepanenko of Trinity University and Ms. Montse Garcia of UT Health Science Center San Antonio for the 11th Annual International Education Conference at Lone Star College for 04/11/2014-04/12/2014

1. Using Sports Diplomacy to Educate and
Globalize our Communities
11th Annual International Education Conference
April 10-11, 2014
Lone Star College

2. Presenters’ Information
What is “Sports Diplomacy?”
Using Sports Diplomacy to Educate
Using Sports to Globalize Our Communities
Q&A
Presentation Overview

3. Presenters
Montsé Garcia, M.A.
International Visitor Advisor
Office of International Services
UT Health Science Center, San Antonio
1.210.567.6241
GarciaMV@uthscsa.edu
Inessa Stepanenko, M.B.A.
Assistant Director
International Student & Scholar Services
Trinity University
1.210.99937505
inessa@trinity.edu

4. Presenters
Qualifications:
- Award winning internationally competitive
gymnast with training experience at US
Olympic Training Center
- Professional gymnastics judge certified
both nationally and internationally
- 6+ years in international education
Qualifications:
-International Studies and Sport
Management internship program at BCFS
- Faculty-led Education Abroad program
- National Olympic Committee Assistant to
TeamUSA at the XXII Winter Olympic
Games in Sochi
- 15+ years in the field of International
Education

5. Happy (belated) International Day of
Sport and Physical Activity!
The United Nations General Assembly
selects a number of "International Days.”
April 6 has been designated as an
International Day of Sport and Physical
Activity and is celebrated by UNESCO.
Did you know that 2005 was selected by the UN as the
International Year of Sport and Physical Education? Korean youths holding up white cards celebrate the
International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, they
are spreading the word about the power of sport.

6. Sports diplomacy is the use of the common bond of sports to
bridge intercultural differences between nations and people. It
introduces people from different cultures to each other
without the economic, political, and military issues that
burden traditional diplomacy. It is often considered by
policymakers to be a branch of “citizen diplomacy,” much
like international educational exchanges (i.e. the J-1 program)
What is “Sports Diplomacy?”

7. “Sport has become a world
language, a common denominator
that breaks down all the walls, all
the barriers,” said United Nations
secretary-general Ban Ki-moon
recently in relation to the Day of
Sport. “It is a worldwide industry
whose practices can have
widespread impact. Most of all, it is
a powerful tool for progress and for
development.”

8. 1. Football (Soccer)
2. Cricket
3. Field-Hockey
4. Tennis
5. Volleyball
6. Table Tennis
7. Baseball
8. Golf
Top Popular Sports Worldwide

9. Sports diplomacy can be effectively used in many areas of education:
- Sport Management majors/minors
- Educational Theory & Research
- ESL/EFL Teaching
- Education Abroad
- International Student & Scholar
- International Exchanges
- Higher Education Curriculum
Using Sports Diplomacy to Educate
After retiring as a competitive gymnast, Hilliard started a foundation. Wendy
quotes: “Sport was a great teacher… And you just get to respect people,
people of different cultures. … I have a much better world view.”

10. ● Constructivism
● Connectivism
● Critical Pedagogy
● “Play” and “Competition” based learning
● Effective for all learning styles: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic
● Dialogical Education, where learning is situated within students’ lived experience: “Student centered
learning”, “Situated Learning,” “Anchored Instruction”
● Collaborative or Cooperative Learning: “Peer-to-Peer learning,” “Reciprocal Teaching”
Read sports diplomacy literature and educational theories that support using sports in education to
better frame your own organization’s initiatives and garner institutional support for programs
Theoretical Support for
Educating Using Sports

11. 1. Consider using sports in Lesson Plans. Examples are
available here, here, and here!
2. Follow up the lesson plans with playing an actual sport
game that requires them to use their new vocabulary
3. Students can give a presentation in English about a sport
they play back home or about their favorite athlete
- Presenter can then teach peers how to play the
sport they presented on
- This method uses “Critical Pedagogy” educational
theories to achieve “collaborative” learning
ESL/EFL Teaching
Using Sports Diplomacy

12. ● Consider reaching out to an international faculty member to create a faculty-led education abroad
program centered on sports’ role in international development and diplomacy. Examples of
faculty led:
○ Washington State University abroad program in Korea
○ Florida State University global sports program in England
● You can develop a program for returning study abroad students to engage with international
diaspora communities upon their return using sports
● While studying abroad, students can do an internship on using sports for international
development purposes:
- using this toolkit co-developed by UNICEF: http://www.toolkitsportdevelopment.org/
- or with an already developed program:
https://www.studyabroad.muohio.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=11247
Education Abroad
Using Sports Diplomacy

13. ● Sports United, a State Dept. program, sends American athletes on international cultural exchange
missions and welcomes foreign athletes to the U.S. for sports clinics and exhibition games.
● Encourage your faculty and staff to both develop and participate in programs that combine sport
diplomacy and international education in an effort to further internationalize your campuses
○ Encourage your campus faculty and staff to host international visitors in their homes
■ Ex: Alamo Colleges’ Open World program and Rotary International programs
■ Can take these visitors out for a baseball game
○ NASPA International Exchange Program: designed to expose administrators to global
practices of student affairs and services
○ NASPA Intl’ Study Tour: gain insight into the issues and strategic directions for higher
education and student services/affairs in other regions of the world.
● If you can’t do a physical exchange, try just bringing the spirit of international exchange into the
classroom! The Dept of State has created an instructional series on Sports and Diplomacy for
social studies educators! Read it here!
International Exchanges

14. ● Football “101” course for international students
● Start a cricket or soccer intramural team or an annual
game for international faculty to compete against
international students
● Initiate International Sport Day programming
● Include sports in your International Education Week
events: Trivia on International Soccer, Tai Chi for
better living, football (soccer) tournament, and etc.
● You can use these programs in your J-1 Annual Report
to meet Department of State requirements
● Research shows that student athletes have higher
retention, GPA, and graduation rates than non-student
athletes
● Engagement with the campus community also
improves retention and persistence rates, and sports is
one way to engage!
International Student & Scholar Education
International Football Camp at Rice
University

15. Internships
Grant & Mentoring Opportunities
Academic-Community Collaborations
Globalizing Our Communities

16. 1. US Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs
2. SportsUnited
3. Local Professional Sports Teams
- SA example: During the 2013 N.B.A. finals against Miami, the Spurs’ 15-man roster
included nine players born outside the continental United States, a league record. After the
playoffs, San Antonio signed a 10th international player — Marco Belinelli of Italy — and
drafted a forward from France.
4. Study Abroad internships at sports or intl’ development organizations abroad
5. Local Non-Profits
a. BCFS is a global system of health and human services non-profit organizations with
locations and programs throughout the U.S. as well as Eastern Europe, Latin America,
Southeast Asia, and Africa
b. Partnership with TU in SA
Internships

17. Grant opportunities:
The SportsUnited International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) is an annual open grant competition
for public & private U.S. non-profit organizations to submit proposals for programs that connect
Americans with foreign audiences through a shared interest in issues that challenge societies and improve
the infrastructure of non-elite youth sports programs.
Mentoring programs:
The U.S. Department of State and ESPNW Global Sports Mentoring Program pairs emerging international
women leaders with top American female executives in the sports industry. This program creates a global
network of women who create positive change in their communities based on the lessons of Title IX—
equality and opportunity—in sports.
Like facebook pages and join LinkedIn groups of sport diplomacy programs of interest to keep updated
on events, grant, and internship opportunities
Grant & Mentoring Opportunities

18. ● The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (BECA) houses Sports United, a program that
sends American athletes on international cultural exchanges & welcomes foreign athletes to the US for
clinics & exhibition games.
● Reach out to your academic programs
○ TU has a minor in Sports Management
○ Work with International Studies department to create a course about sports’ role in global
education, development, and diplomacy
○ Connect Country Specific Exchange Initiatives (like the US-Russian Bilateral Presidential
Commission and US-China Consultation) with foreign language programs at your university
○ If institution has PE as a curriculum requirement, then work with that department to include
“intercultural” or “international” aspects of sport as a course or curriculum component
■ Have students present on a sport they play at home or attend an on-campus or off-campus
seminar for course credit
Academic-Community Collaborations

19. ● Work to influence your local sports teams to unite with teams abroad to
make a difference
● Connect with the diaspora communities in area
● Reach out to your international alumni base for resources to initiate
programming and connections
○ ex: TU reached out to alumni at Olympic Training Center
● Utilize city resources and relationships with your city’s Sister Cities
○ Sister Cities Conference 2013 in San Antonio:
■ Conference sessions on Sports Diplomacy for youth with 2-
time Paralympic gold Medalist Ross Davis, Dr. Susan
Blackwood of SA Sports Foundation, and Cecilia Herrera
of Foreign Affairs Consulting
○ Work with your city’s local economic development offices or
international relations offices
Academic-Community Collaborations

20. Even the UN admits,
“Sport is not a cure-all for development
problems. As a cultural phenomenon, it is a
mirror of society and is just as complex and
contradictory.”
How NOT to do Sports
Diplomacy
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) meets with
former NBA star Dennis Rodman in Pyongyang,
North Korea.

21. We’ve got answers!
Questions?