University of Oregon Olympic Studies Hub

Track athletes are pictured mid-stride during a race at UO's Hayward Field

The Olympic Studies Hub at the University of Oregon is a member of the worldwide network of academic centers dedicated to the study and research of the Olympic Movement and Olympic Games. The hub has fulfilled the criteria for recognition as an academic Olympic Studies and Research Centre by the International Olympic Committee Olympic Studies Centre. The hub at the UO is one of nearly 80 recognized academic Olympic Studies and Research Centres in 29 countries around the globe. It is currently the only one in the United States.

Housed in the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the Lundquist College of Business, the Olympic Studies Hub is an exciting engagement opportunity within the Olympic movement for students, faculty, staff, and alumni, supported by four main pillars:

Housed in the Warsaw Sports Business Center at the Lundquist College of Business, the Olympic Studies Hub coalesces a broad range of activities and research taking place across the university related to sports and wellness within the context of the Olympic Movement. The hub provides students, faculty, staff, and alumni opportunities to engage with the Olympic movement, focusing on four main areas:

Experiential learning
Business and philosophy of Olympism
Studies and research
Multidisciplinary collaborations

Why Oregon?

The University of Oregon and its home city of Eugene, Oregon—known nationwide as TrackTown, USA—have a very special place in the country's Olympic ecosystem. One could say that the Olympic connection is part of our culture's DNA, thanks in part to the university's renown within the sport of track and field; its more than one hundred alumni who have represented more than 20 countries at the Olympic Games; and its ongoing engagements with Olympic stakeholders.

The university regularly hosts numerous Olympians who travel to compete at its iconic Hayward Field every year in such events as the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, the Diamond League annual competition Pre-Classic, national championships, and college competitions, as well as the Oregon22 World Athletics Championships in 2022.

A photo of the south entrance to the Lillis Business Complex taken while the Track & Field World Athletics Championships Oregon22 where being held at the university. A vertical banner stands outside the building advertising the event.

The Lundquist College of Business and the Warsaw Sports Business Center also regularly engage with partners, sponsors, and suppliers across the Olympic and Paralympic Movement. Our students regularly take part in real-life business opportunities in the world of sport.

Pillars of the Olympic Studies Hub

The University of Oregon is well known for its holistic, multidisciplinary approach to sports and wellbeing, boasting world-class research facilities within the Bowerman Sports Science Center, numerous academic and professional opportunities for its faculty and students, and study abroad programs via Global Education Oregon (GEO). The University of Oregon is also a founding member of the Global Sport University Network (GSUN).

Through collaborations with the Lundquist College and its four Centers of Excellence, UO faculty and staff, student organizations, alumni network, and other campus resources—as well as partnering institutions and industry connections—the Olympic Studies Hub makes use of world class academic and practical expertise to prepare students to work and lead in culturally diverse global environments within the Olympic movement and in other international sports organizations.

Experiential Learning

Site visits and collaborations with Olympic stakeholders in the USA
Guest lecturers with Olympic business experience
Opportunities for involvement with track and field and other Olympic sports on campus
Study tours in past Olympic host cities

Multidisciplinary Collaborations

Panels and collaborations with Olympian alumni
Cross-campus engagement with departments, units, faculty, and staff across the University of Oregon
Collaborations with international academic institutions
Collaborations with the track and field ecosystem

Business and Olympism

Sports business and sustainability
Diversity, inclusion, and social justice
Community outreach
Women and sports

Studies and Research

Olympic-related courses and learning opportunities
Ongoing research on the Olympic movement
Conference presentations
On-campus workshops and symposiums

Hub Faculty

The leadership of the Olympics Studies Hub comprises faculty and staff from the Lundquist College of Business who bring decades of noteworthy academic, professional, and athletic experience with national and international sports and the Olympic movement.