5/24 - Les Avants Day trip

    To start the day the group and I got on a train and headed to Les Avants to take part in a hiking excursion on the Narcissist trail. The main attraction on the trail is the infamous narcissist flower which is a white flower that resembles a daffodil. During our time on the trail, we had a great time taking in the views and experiencing what it was like to hike in an area adjacent to the Swiss Alps. But before we went on our hike we spent time in a farmers market where we could experience some authentic Swiss culture. Vendors at the market sold objects like wooden planks that had engraved logos or sports teams on them. Other vendors were either selling food or little souvenirs that we could buy and take home with us. After we went on the trail, which lasted about 2 hours, we took the train to Montreux where we indulged in a waterside lunch where all of us got different types of Italian food. Most of us got either pasta or pizza. 

    After that, everyone in the group got ice cream except for me and because I didn't get it we got a refund for paying for 9 ice creams and we only got 8. I got to keep the change. After our waterside lunch, we took a self-guided tour of the famous Castle Chillon which is the most visited historical site in Switzerland. During our self-guided tour, we took a suggested path around the entire castle. We had the most fun in the catacombs of the castle where we took part in learning about the history of what makes the castle special. Inside the castle, they had people selling different foods that would have been popular during the time the castle was in use. None of us got anything but the crepes looked decent. We spent around an hour and a half at the castle for our tour which was a reasonable amount of time as we had been up since 8 am to make sure that we got to the hiking trail with good weather. In my opinion, I enjoyed the Tower of London tour more than the Castle Chillon tour mostly because we had a funny tour guide who had a lot of knowledge of the historical events that took place at the castle. Compare that to Castle Chillon where we read of posted placards which is less than ideal when trying to have an enjoyable time at a historical site. After that, the group and I went on our separate ways for dinner before meeting up later that night. 

May 23rd: FISU, World Taekwondo, and KSOC

We had an early morning wake-up to get dressed and ready for business casual day, as we had a full schedule of meetings with multiple international sports organizations. After getting prepared, we hopped on the subway and made our way to the Université de Lausanne, where we met with the International University Sports Federation (FISU). FISU is essentially the international counterpart to the NCAA in the U.S., overseeing university-level sports on a global scale. One of the most fascinating things we learned about FISU is that they organize Olympic-style games for university students every two years—both summer and winter editions. The most recent FISU Winter Games were held in Lake Placid in 2023, and we found out that the 2027 Summer Games will be hosted across various colleges in North Carolina, which was especially exciting to hear for us. While we were at FISU, we also had the chance to explore a small museum-style exhibit they had on-site. It featured a range of artifacts from past FISU games. Browsing through the exhibits was a fun and engaging way to learn more about the history of international university sports. One of the highlights was seeing some of the original torches used in previous games, which gave us a real sense of tradition and prestige behind these events. Talking with representatives from FISU was eye-opening, especially since many of us had never heard of the organization before this trip. Hearing firsthand about their mission, programs, and upcoming events made us appreciate the global scope of college athletics.

After our meeting, we had lunch at the university’s cafeteria—and to everyone’s surprise, it turned out to be some of the best dining hall food any of us had ever had. The variety was incredible, and we got to try several different cuisines, which made it feel more like a food hall than a typical cafeteria. With full stomachs, we took a relaxing stroll along Lake Geneva, enjoying the stunning views and fresh air before heading to our next stop: the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters. Of course, we had to stop for a quick group photo in front of the iconic Olympic rings!

Next, we visited the Maison du Sport International, a hub that houses numerous international sports federations. Our first meeting there was with World Taekwondo. They welcomed us warmly into their office and led a fascinating discussion on both the history of Taekwondo and their humanitarian initiatives, including programs in Middle Eastern refugee camps. They even treated us to a generous selection of Swiss chocolates and snacks, and handed out magazines and other take-home materials, which was a fun bonus.

Our final visit of the day was with the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), which maintains a satellite office in Switzerland to stay closely connected with the IOC. During our meeting, we had a thoughtful conversation with one of Dr. Kim’s former colleague and another member, covering a wide range of topics including the financial structure of their organization, cultural considerations, event management strategies, and efforts toward gender parity in sports.

After an inspiring day of meetings, we headed back to the hotel, did some laundry at a local laundromat, and then regrouped for dinner. We ended the night with a delicious meal at a Thai restaurant in town. For some people in the group, it was their first time trying Thai food, and the Pad Thai was an instant favorite. We took a leisurely walk back to the hotel, laughing and chatting the whole way, enjoying the atmosphere and checking out local neighborhood spots along the way. It was the perfect way to close out an incredibly enriching and enjoyable day.

5/23: FISU, IOC, World Taekwondo, and KSOC

Today marked our first full day in Lausanne. We started the day with a little bit of breakfast from the hotels restaurant before heading over to our first site. Our first stop was the FISU, or the international federation of sport university. We got here by taking the metro, and then walked through the universities campus. It was interesting to see this campus built in what looked like the middle of the woods. When we got there, we met up with a few FISU personnel and headed into our session. We got some history on what fisu was, and how they have helped develop many college athletes and prepare them for the olympic levels. FISU is a federation founded in 1948 that helps grow student athletes from the ages of 17-25 years old.  FISU holds summer and winter games every two years for their athletes, and it consists of the same aspects that would be seen during an olympic game. It was very interesting hearing about how facts about hosting games and how FISU governs their organization. 

    After we met with the organization, a member of the fisu led us to lunch in the universities cafeteria. It was amazing food. After lunch, we took a quick walk towards lake Geneva, which was a beautiful site. We walked through the park and got to admire the beautiful scenery as we headed up the road to the buildings. 

    On the way, we walked passed the IOC, which is the main organization for the Olympic games. Then we got to the building where we meet with people from the World Taekwondo. We met with two members and we had a conversation about the history of the organization, the sport today, and a bit about the impact taekwondo has on refugees. It was mentioned the importance of the Olympics for taekwondo, since it is not a big enough sport to get many viewers daily. We also talked about mechanics in the sports, and also watched videos and discussed the impact the organization had on a refugee camp in Jordan. The videos showed the importance the sport and especially the olympics has on many different parts of the world, and how it can help bring communities together. 

    After this, we got some snacks and then headed over to the Korean Olympic Committee. This part of the trip was very interesting and we had a bunch dialogue between the two memberts of the commitee. It was interesting to listen and hear a bit about the culture and how the olympics is run for the Korean nation. We learned about what goes into the government side, planning, athlete care, and how the olympics relates to Korean government. 

After this, we took a bus back to the hotel where we relaxed until dinner. Some of us got some Thai food, which it was a first for me. It was a very delicious dinner and I enjoyed this day very much.