UConn to host world peace summit in 2011

By: Joe Adinolfi

Posted: 6/15/09

UConn will host over 20,000 guests from around the world in June 2011 for the World Scholar-Athlete Games and World Youth Peace Summit, sponsored by the International Institute for Sport (IIS). IIS has worked in cooperation with the United Nations to bring these two momentous events to our campus as well as the greater Hartford area.

The World Scholar-Athlete Games - IIS's flagship event - has been held every five years since 1993. This year's games will attract more participants than ever before because of the first ever IIS World Youth Peace Summit. The Peace Summit will begin directly after the conclusion of the games.

It is easily the most ambitious event the organization has ever planned. The IIS's founder and executive director is Dan Doyle - a former basketball coach at both Trinity College and the Kingswood-Oxford School. Doyle's 1980 Trinity men's basketball team was the first U.S. sports team to visit Cuba after the 1959 revolution. He was inspired by the camaraderie shared by the basketball players from both countries.

"As a young coach, I was drawn to international sport's unique capacity to build relationships, to teach lessons, to cross political divides and - as a result - to create the potential to effect change," wrote Doyle in an article posted on the IIS Web site.

"The Peace Summit will invite prior participants in the games to come to the summit to further their interest in peace studies and civic engagement," said Lisa Troyer, senior associate to the president and Chief of Staff.

Approximately 20,000 people - including current and former games' participants from around the world and several delegates appointed by the UN - will involve themselves in a week of workshops, discussions and speeches all devoted to inspiring a feeling of international civility as part of the peace summit.

Teams will be composed of a diverse mix of students. Players will be strangers before the games, but through playing together they will develop strong bonds. These bonds will help each individual participant promote inter-cultural understanding of his or her native country.

About half the students will be athletes, while the remainder will be students of the arts such as painters, poets and actors.

Due to of the event's immense size, the IIS has enlisted the help of several partners to ensure success. The group has the backing of the United Nations, Connecticut governor Jodi Rell and, of course, UConn.

UConn was selected to host the event because it has the necessary athletic fields and dormitories to accommodate both the participants and their planned activities. UConn also has the intellectual and administrative resources to ensure that the event will run smoothly.

"UConn is rapidly gaining worldwide recognition for its scholarship and support in the areas of human rights and social justice," said UConn president Michael Hogan about why he feels UConn is an appropriate choice of location for the 2011 summit.

"Our programs in civic engagement and social entrepreneurship are likewise gaining increasing attention for their excellence. And, it's no secret that Connecticut's leadership has invested wisely and in unprecedented ways in our capital infrastructure. This makes the university a best-choice for an event like this."

The Scholar-Athlete Games will take place from June 26 through July 2. Activities for the Peace Summit will commence on July 3 and end with a closing address on July 7.

Several fundraisers will be held over the next two years. The event is seeking funding from federal grants, private corporations and foundations.

"We are delighted to join Dan Doyle and the IIS in this outstanding initiative," said Hogan.