The University of Oregon launches the Olympic Studies Hub
It is the only US member of the worldwide network of academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres
The University of Oregon has announced the launch of the Olympic Studies Hub at the Lundquist College of Business.
The UO Olympic Studies Hub is the only U.S. member of the worldwide network of academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres dedicated to the study and research of the Olympic movement and Olympic Games. The UO hub has fulfilled the criteria for recognition as an academic Olympic Studies and Research Centre by the International Olympic Committee Olympic Studies Centre.
“The University of Oregon is very pleased to receive this recognition of our sports- and Olympic-related academic programs,” said UO President Karl Scholz. “With global attention focused on the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in summer 2028, the UO looks forward to collaborating internationally to share and advance the world’s knowledge of the Olympic movement and Olympic Games.”
The Olympic Studies Hub will coalesce a range of activities and research taking place across the university related to sports and wellness within the context of the Olympic movement. The hub will focus on four main areas: experiential learning, business and the philosophy of Olympism, studies and research, and multidisciplinary collaborations — for example, between the business school and the university’s Global Education Oregon study abroad programs.
The new hub at the UO is one of nearly 80 recognized academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres in 29 countries around the globe. These university-based centers “seek to promote teaching, research, publications and conferences about the Olympic movement and the Olympic Games with a humanities or social sciences perspective,” according to the International Olympic Committee Olympic Studies Centre.
The UO Olympic Studies Hub is part of the Warsaw Sports Business Center in the Lundquist College of Business.
“The UO has a rich history in the Olympic movement, and the Lundquist College of Business engages with Olympic stakeholders on a regular basis,” said Yoav Dubinsky, senior instructor of sports business and operational director of the UO Olympic Studies Hub. “This new hub reaffirms our strong connection with the Olympic movement, enhancing our academic and professional network and further preparing our students academically and professionally to work and lead in a global sports environment as the U.S. heads into an exciting decade of hosting Olympic Games and world championships.”
T. Bettina Cornwell, Philip H. Knight Chair, marketing professor and head of the marketing department at the Lundquist College of Business, is the academic director of the UO Olympic Studies Hub.
Over the years the UO has established many strong academic and athletic connections with the Olympics:
- The business school offers courses on the business of the Olympic Games.
- The business school and Warsaw Sports Business Center regularly engage with partners, sponsors and suppliers across the Olympic and Paralympic movement.
- Study abroad programs offer opportunities for students to visit Olympic cities.
- The university’s Hayward Field regularly hosts the U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field, the Diamond League annual competition at The Prefontaine Classic, national championships, college competitions, and in 2022 the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
- More than 100 Oregon Ducks alumni, representing more than 20 countries from every continent, have competed in the Olympic Games over the past century.
- The UO is the birthplace of Nike, an official sponsor of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
- The university is a community partner of Track Town USA, the nonprofit organizer of premier track and field events and community engagement activities.
The Lundquist College of Business website has more information about the UO Olympic Studies Hub.
