If you have a passion for sports, taking that passion abroad can be life changing. It will help you explore new cultures, meet new friends, and make your interests more meaningful in your life.
Army, Corps and Unit teams are encouraged to participate in Overseas Sports Visits (OSV). An OSV requires a sponsoring unit, staff clearance and Diplomatic Clearance from host and transit countries.
International Sports Programming Initiative
The COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges for the world of sports, and there is still no definitive answer about the long-term impact of the virus. However, a number of organisations have taken steps to mitigate the effects by focusing on social impact.
The International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) is a competitive grants competition administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. This program supports two-way sports-based exchanges between the United States and select countries that employ sport to address critical social issues overseas and within the United States.
This ISPI competition is open to public and private non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation and that manage exchange programs that reach underserved youth. Exchanges funded under this competition will focus on effective ways that sport can play a role in promoting more stable and inclusive communities by demonstrating how principles of leadership, responsibility, teamwork, healthy living, and self-discipline can encourage young people to stay in school, avoid substance abuse, prevent violence, and mitigate extremist voices.
Sports Envoy Program
In addition to hosting the world’s elite athletes, Oregon’s 2022 Olympic Games will be a catalyst for cultural exchange through sports. The United States Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy division, in partnership with local embassy and consulate colleagues, coordinates programs to send American athletes overseas as “Sports Envoys” to build friendships and increase mutual understanding (Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, n.d.).
The Sports Ambassador program sends current and retired American athletes to countries around the world to host sports clinics and promote inclusive values and youth resiliency. The Sports Visitor program brings coaches, administrators and youth athletes from other countries to the United States to share their own sporting expertise, leadership and lessons learned with their American peers.
Students enrolled in these courses gain the skills to facilitate people-to-people sports exchanges through international partnerships, with a focus on developing cross-cultural communication and global awareness. This is particularly valuable for future careers in the field of international relations, where the role of sport as a vehicle for diplomacy has been recognized.
International Sports Federations
There are 104 international sport federations – each overseeing a single discipline. They govern their sports at a global level and regulate rules, promote the sport, develop athletes and organize championships.
Their work creates positive promotion of the sport, attracts sponsors and spectators to competitions and ultimately generates revenue for the sport. This is a key factor in the survival of many of the world’s sports, especially those that are less financially viable than others.
IFs also play an important role in the political arena, determining amateur rules, negotiating with broadcasters and fighting doping and corruption. IFs also support and develop their athletes, disseminate the Olympic values and foster youth participation in sports through numerous projects. The study used a mix of document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 51 key informants from national governing bodies, NOCs and sport organizations. It was conducted during three field trips to Botswana, Guatemala and Sri Lanka. Results show that despite a common governance transplant, different national structures and legacies shape the way that autonomy is translated in these countries.
Court of Arbitration for Sport
Athletes, sports-bodies and federations can submit any dispute linked to sport to the CAS. These disputes can be commercial (e.g. a sponsorship contract) or of a disciplinary nature following a decision by a sports-body or federation.
A major function of the CAS is to dispense individual justice within a highly regulated ‘internal law’ of sport. This includes interpreting the rules of sport and harmonising standards.
For example, the CAS has disapproved of automatic fixed penalties; required sanctions to ‘fit the crime’; and upheld the principle that athletes have a right to know the criteria for selecting match officials.
It has also made strong statements that selection criteria should be announced in advance; that professional athletes have a right to know the qualifications of the candidates; and that federations should pursue a policy of transparency and open information. This has the potential to have a positive impact on access to remedy for those who suffer adverse human impacts as a result of sporting activities. 해외스포츠