The Program for the Advancement of Girls and Women in Sport and Physical Activity (PAGWSPA) in the Center for Women’s Health and Wellness (CWHW) is partnering with the Center for Peace, Sport and Society (CPSS) at the University of Tennessee and the US State Department to host 12 female athletes from Pakistan on UNCG’s campus, June 20-27th, as a part of their “Empowering Women through Sport” initiative.
Initially, these athletes were supposed to visit Boston, Massachusetts, but with the recent bombings, the US State Department determined that the athletes should visit a different part of the United States for safety and security purposes. In addition to the 12 athletes, two coaches from Pakistan, a member of the US State Department, two English translators and three directors from CPSS will be traveling with the athletes to UNCG.
UNCG will provide sport and physical activity opportunities (field hockey and rugby camps) for the Pakistani athletes and introduce them to sport for women in the United States. To offer these camps, PAGWSPA is expanding their partnership with USA Field Hockey, local high school field hockey programs, and with Katie Wurst, a USA Rubgy certified coach and incoming doctoral student in the department of Kinesiology as well as current graduate students in the Department of Kinesiology at UNC Greensboro. USA Field Hockey will make arrangements for several field hockey Olympians and US National Team players to be a part of this experience.
PAGWPSA Program Director, Dr. Donna Duffy commented “We are so excited to host these female athletes and to partner with the Center for Peace, Sport and Society at the University of Tennessee. This partnership helps PAGWSPA realize our community engagement goals, and will highlight the University in a way that demonstrates our collective commitment to community-engaged work and scholarship. This opportunity also allows us to further our established partnership with USA Field Hockey and the Department of Kinesiology at UNCG.”
For more information, contact Donna Duffy, Program Director for the Program for the Advancement of Girls and Women in Sport and Physical Activity, at dmduffy@uncg.edu.