This Business School Launched the First Olympic Committee-Recognized Hub in the U.S.
Credit: Raymond Boyd / Getty Images- The University of Oregon is the first school in the U.S. to host an Olympic Studies and Research Centre.
- Students will be able to take new classes, meet industry leaders, visit sports organizations, go on study abroad opportunities, and more as part of their Olympic studies.
- The university, located in “Track Town USA” and the host of track and field Olympic trials, already offers classes on the Olympics and has connections across the sports industry locally and nationally.
A new Olympic-sized opportunity has opened for students to study the philosophy and business of the Olympic Games at the University of Oregon’s (UO) Lundquist College of Business.
UO has launched the Olympic Studies Hub as the first academic Olympic Studies and Research Centre in the U.S., now part of a network of 77 global centers in 29 countries.
According to the International Olympic Committee, these centers “seek to promote teaching, research, publications, and conferences about the Olympic movement and the Olympic Games with a humanities or social sciences perspective.”
“The University of Oregon is very pleased to receive this recognition of our sports- and Olympic-related academic programs,” UO President Karl Scholz said in the press release.
“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.”
Yoav Dubinsky, senior instructor of sports business and operational director of the UO Olympic Studies Hub, told BestColleges that students will have the chance to meet with industry leaders on campus, visit sports organizations and sponsors, and participate in study abroad trips to past Olympic Games host locations.
“The upcoming decade is very special, as the U.S. will host some of the most significant major international sports competitions, including, of course, the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and the Salt Lake City, Utah, 2034 Winter Olympic Games, but also the 2026 FIFA World Cup, world championships in rugby, the FISU Universiade Games, and more,” Dubinsky said.
“With our network of connections and alumni, part of what we aim for is to create more opportunities for our communities to engage with such events academically and professionally.”
He said that the hub is built on several pillars.
One pillar studies the business of the Olympics and the philosophy of Olympism. Students will study the workings of the billion-dollar industry and what goes into running the Games.
They will also learn about Olympism, the industry’s philosophy linking “sport to culture and education.” It involves community engagement, learning about sustainability, studying women and sports, and enhancing social causes.
Students, faculty, and alums involved in the hub will also participate in research through academic publications and conference presentations. A new curriculum, classes, on-campus workshops, and symposiums are planned for students.
The business school also plans to collaborate with other UO schools and community partners — as well as other institutions with Olympic centers and institutions within the Global Sports University Network — to plan opportunities for students. Students can also expect panels and collaborations with Olympic alums and with the track and field industry.
These new opportunities only enhance what Dubinsky said is an already-strong connection between UO and the sports world.
The university already offers business courses on the Olympics, and the business school and the Warsaw Sports Business Center work with partners, sponsors, and suppliers in the Olympics and Paralympics.
According to Dubinksy, UO’s home — Eugene, Oregon — is formally branded “Track Town USA.” UO’s Hayward Field hosts the track and field Olympic trials, and over 100 UO alums have competed in the Olympic Games over the last 100 years.
A total of 15 current, graduate, and college-to-pro UO students competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Other colleges and Ivy League universities also sent their athletes to compete in basketball, diving, wrestling, fencing, rowing, and more.