Institute for International Sport

The Institute for International Sport was founded in 1986 by Daniel E. Doyle, Jr. The basic concept of the Institute was rooted in Doyle's overseas experiences in the 60's and 70's. While traveling in Europe as a prep basketball player in 1968, and visiting Cuba as the head men's basketball coach of Trinity College in 1979, Doyle saw the power of sport as a medium to foster friendship and goodwill.

While studying at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Doyle drafted a position paper that outlined what is now the Institute for International Sport (IIS). After sharing his idea with several universities, including the University of Rhode Island (URI), Doyle convinced then URI president Edward D. Eddy and then Rhode Island Governor Edward DiPrete that URI should be the home of the Institute. On July 1, 1986 the IIS officially opened in a one-room office and Doyle's dream became a reality.

More than two decades after its founding, the Institute for International Sport remains guided by international leaders in the academic, business, government and athletic communities. The IIS has fostered an extraordinary number of global friendships through sport, culture and education, connecting tens of thousands of people. As the Institute continues to grow in the 21st Century, the organization's mission remains the same:

Mission Statement

To promote and improve relations among nations, particularly in nations experiencing internal conflict;
To encourage individual growth and the development of human potential in young scholars throughout the world;
To develop global awareness in future world leaders;
To develop a large network of Scholar-Athlete Games graduates who act as peace brokers in their respective communities and countries;
To promote ethical behavior, good sportsmanship and good sports parenting on an international basis;
To facilitate, among Institute alumni, a humanitarian approach in their actions as they develop as leaders;
To provide parents and sports educators with sound ideas they can employ when raising and teaching children who play sports.

To achieve its objectives, the IIS focuses on the youth of the international community. The IIS has this focus because it believes that the world's best hope for peace lies in the hearts, hands and early life experiences of the world's youth. Education and cultural awareness, which enable future world leaders to design workable solutions, are at the core of each IIS program.

In combination with educational and cultural pursuits, the IIS recognizes that sport can stimulate communication and can serve as a force for improving relationships among nations. The IIS emphasizes the importance of scholarship, ethics and sportsmanship in all of its projects, believing these ideals should be integral to one’s daily life and actions.

Timeline 2007-2011

From June 24-July 2, 2006, the Institute celebrated its 20th anniversary by welcoming delegations from 157 countries to the fourth World Scholar-Athlete Games. Major speakers at the Games included former U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton, who delivered the keynote address, Senator George Mitchell, who delivered the Institute’s 20th anniversary address, and Mr. Claes Nobel of Nobel Peace Prize Fame and a world renowned environmentalist.

Click here to view the Institute’s extraordinary future calendar.

Sports Corps and Belfast United
(The two initial programs that led to the
World Scholar-Athlete Games)

The initial program of the IIS was Sports Corps, launched in September of 1987, when the Institute sent Sports Corps volunteers to Ireland, Burundi and Czechoslovakia. Sport Corps volunteers worked with impoverished youth, setting up a variety of sports education initiatives. Expanding on the Sports Corps model, Belfast United was launched in 1989. Designed to act as a medium for cross-religious communication in Northern Ireland, Belfast United brought together equal numbers of Protestant and Catholic youth. Over the course of this decade long program, Belfast United had over 1,500 young men and women participate. When the peace accord in Northern Ireland was signed, a number of Northern Ireland political and educational figures pointed to Belfast United as one of the most meaningful programs that helped bring about the truce.

The Sports Corps and Belfast United model further expanded to include more than 190 countries around the globe, as the Institute launched the World Scholar-Athlete Games during the early nineties. In February of 1990, Doyle traveled to the London School of Education to present the plan for the World Scholar-Athlete Games (WSAG). In February of 1992, the WSAG was officially announced at a major press conference in Washington, D.C. by Senator Bill Bradley, the first Chair of the WSAG. At the press conference, Senator Bradley predicted that the WSAG would become, "A very important part of international sports, in a manner similar to the International Special Olympics." The first WSAG was held from June 20 - July 1, 1993. A total of 108 countries and all 50 states sent delegations. The success of the inaugural WSAG has led to other Scholar-Athlete Games (SAG) around the world, including the 2006 World Scholar-Athlete Games which welcomed delegations from 157 countries, and featured speakers such as former President Bill Clinton and former Senator George Mitchell.

The prosperity of the IIS has continued with the development of numerous other programs, such as National Sportsmanship Day, the Center for Sports Parenting, the Center for Sports Leadership, the Center for Sports Poetry, Basketball Ballet, The 100 Most Influential Sports Educators in America, and the Renaissance Games. The Institute for International Sport is no longer housed in a one-room office, but is now located in the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame in the Feinstein Building, located on the southwest corner of The University of Rhode Island campus.

Information on these and other Institute programs may be found by linking to our Vision Statement.