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Welcome | Bridging the Cultural Divide Through Sport

Welcome to the GMU-Sports Diplomacy blog “Bridging the Cultural Divide through Sport”!

This blog will follow the cooperative agreement between the GMU Center for Sports Management and SportsUnited. SportsUnited is a division of the U.S. Department of State’s bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and George Mason provides logistical and administrative support for the division’s Sports Visitor program.

The Sports Visitor program invites non-elite athletes and coaches from all over the world and from all different ages for a fast-paced two-week cultural exchange program. The purpose of the program is to allow visitors the opportunity to experience the United States, and our culture and values first hand. As well as experiencing the United States the visitors will also participate in sessions covering a various of topics including but not limited to Sport Nutrition, Team Building, Leadership, Title XI, Inclusion and Values in Sport.   

Now that you have an idea of what the program entails let me discuss my role with the program. I am the Program Host for the program. I work with the Principal Investigators on the grant and my colleagues to plan and coordinate the activities and sessions for the visitors during their stay here. One of the main objectives of the program is to show the participants a well-rounded view of the United States and the American people. Most of our visitors have never been to the United States and their only impression of the United States and Americans is what they see depicted through the media and in movies. Other important objectives of the program are providing sessions on women and youth empowerment and inclusion of all athletes no matter their ability.

This program hopes to show that contrary to what politics and certain world events would have us believe there are actually more similarities between all of us than differences. This concept is what we hope to share with you as we begin to post more articles. So check back to keep updated on the program and groups.