The Center for Sport, Peace, & Society

09/15/2026

Huge congratulations to Klaithem Almatrooshi (CSPS ’19, United Arab Emirates)! 🎉 🇦🇪

She’s been honored in Dubai with a New Media Academy Life Award, earning the “You Are Effective” medal—part of a powerful humanitarian initiative led by His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. 👏

Klaithem embodies:

👏 Impact over Recognition
🫂 The Strength of Community
💪 Resilience

This award is given when no one is watching, recognizing those who quietly serve the greater good without seeking fame, recognition, or reward.

In a beautiful ceremony, Klaithem was celebrated by her closest friends and family, who shared powerful tributes about her impact.

More than a medal, this honor reflects the gratitude of an entire nation for her resilient, meaningful service. 🇦🇪✨

Klaithem, you are an inspiration. 🩷

WE ARE SO PROUD! 🇦🇪🙌

من كرسيها المتحرك، أعطت ما لم يُعطه صحيحو البدن.لم تُعجزها خسارتها...

09/03/2026

🥾GO EXPLORE!🥾
Samar Khan (CSPS class of 2018) is a trailblazer in adventure sports and for women’s empowerment in the mountains of Pakistan and beyond! 🇵🇰

As a Fjällräven Polar 2026 participant, Samar is equipping young women with the skills, confidence, and community to make their place in the outdoors. 🌍💪

Her impact is already reaching new heights:

🏔️ Women becoming mountain guides
🏔️ Athletes climbing major peaks
🏔️ Competitors stepping onto national stages

Because when they see Samar, they believe:
“If she can do it, so can I.”

Her advice to young girls?

Start small. Stay connected. Let the mountains shape you.
The mountains teach you how smart and strong you are. 🏔️✨

This is what happens when purpose meets passion:

🔥 Confidence rises
🔥 Barriers break
🔥 Futures expand

If you want to know more about Samar’s time as a Fjällräven Polar 2026 participant, read here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fjallraven_fjallraven-activity-7436776735750164480-aYX-?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAE16sZwBIb0JrIIxrIj4wqIwFpqG9VvPv8Q

High Fives! 🙌






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09/01/2026

AWARENESS IN ACTION!! ⭐⭐

Shoutout to Loic Bhugeerathee, a CSPS 2025 alumnus, who is making great progress on his action plan in Mauritius!🇲🇺

As the founder of the Magic Quatre-Bornes Sports Club, an organization that develops wheelchair racers and prosthetic-blade runners, AND a leader of Sport4Community: Grassroots in Para Athletics, a program designed to prepare the next generation of para athletes, he is CRUSHING it! 🤗

Loic jump started his action plan by introducing Para athletics (track & field) at the university level! Thanks to Loic, students interact directly with the athletes on the track. They observe training routines, aske questions, and see firsthand the discipline, technique, and intensity required in Para athletics.

HUGE props to Loic for:
🧠Shifting mindsets
🤝Promoting inclusion
🧑‍🦽Showing young people that ability comes in many forms

Thank you, Loic for helping to cultivate a more inclusive society for people with disabilities through real experience!

HIGH FIVES, keep up the amazing work!!

08/27/2026

Congrats to Dr. Ilina Arsova (CSPS 2012 Alumni) from North Macedonia, whose academic work “Between Peaks and Traditions: Indigenous Andean Women Mountaineers, Hybrid Identities, and Decolonial Resistance through Sport“ was published in The Journal of Global South Sport Studies!! 🎉

Dr. Ilina's research explores gender, media, and Indigenous perspectives in adventure and mountaineering sports. ⛰️

Holding a PHD in Sociocultural Studies of Sport from the [tag] University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Dr. Ilina co-authored this article with UTK Kinesiology, Recreation, & Sport Studies Professor Dr.Lars Dzikus. 🤓

This paper explores the hybrid identities of Indigenous Bolivian women mountaineers, focusing on how they EMBRACE and RESIST elements of both Indigenous and Western traditions through sports. 🔎

The findings revealed the women see mountaineering not just as a sport, but also a site for:
🌍 Cultural negotiation
🚺 Feminist resistance
🧠 Identity formation ..The women balance tradition and modern life, acting as both athletes and keepers of their culture.

Dr. Ilina shares, “With all my heart I want to thank all my Bolivian sisters and the UT team who contributed to the study.” ❤️

High Fives to Dr. Ilina Arsova, Dr. Lars, and all of the Bolivian sisters who helped make this paper a success!! 👏

This paper explores the hybrid identities of Indigenous Bolivian women mountaineers, focusing on how they embrace and resist elements of both Indigenous and Western traditions through sports. Challenging dominant Western narratives of mountaineering (Rak, 2021), these women engage in climbing as an....

08/25/2026

We are still reminiscing about the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games—and getting to watch our very own Ilma Kazazić from Bosnia and Herzegovina in action!! 🏅🏅

Ilma is a four-time Paralympian in alpine skiing and a 2025 CSPS alumna. She represents the very best of Para sport—competing at the highest level while creating meaningful change far beyond the Paralympic stage.

As Marcie Kern (CSPS mentor, TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital) shared:
“So excited to see my GSMP sister Ilma compete in the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games… so fun cheering you on from afar!” ⛷️⛷️

We love seeing our alumni empower others—on and off the snow. ❄️❄️

So proud of you, Ilma. HIGH FIVES!! ✋✨

08/21/2026

YOU! BELONG! HERE!

Carole Ponchon’s (CSPS class of 2017, France) mission is to inspire, support, and amplify those who want to change the world using sport to connect people to the world around them!

Carole recently wrote an outstanding article that dives deep into the hidden power dynamics shaping grassroots sport, and asks the tough questions:

Who is being HEARD?
Who feels confident enough to SPEAK?
And who is actually holding the POWER?

Carole unveils the truth on who holds the power in sport and who gets to define equality.

She discovered that:
⚖️ Representation ≠ Influence
🚫 Silence ≠ Equality
📊 Numbers ≠ Inclusion

REAL inclusion means:
➡️ Creating space where ideas matter more than titles
➡️ Actively listening to voices that are often unheard
➡️ Questioning who is missing—and WHY
➡️ Sharing power, not just access

Carole seeks to build a community where

🌍 Everyone BELONGS
🗣️ Every voice COUNTS
⚡ And power is SHARED—not concentrated

Thank you, Carole!! High Fives!!

ChangeMakers - A New Era for Inclusion in Grassroots Sport

08/19/2026

Meet the leader who’s changing the game—literally! We’re giving a big shoutout to CSPS mentor, Joanne Wallen for her incredible impact and well-deserved feature in the Orlando Business Journal! 👏

Jo joined the GSMP team as a mentor in 2019, supporting both the Women in Sport 👩‍🦰 and Sport for Community ♿ programs. Through her work, she empowers athletes and designs inclusive programs that ensure everyone has a place in tennis. Her leadership isn’t defined by titles. It’s about opening doors for those who have too often been left out.

Jo is a:
🤝 Community Builder, strengthening connection and belonging through sport
🌟 Selfless Leader, helping others succeed, not just focusing on personal gain

Through her work she creates ✨ life-changing impact. We've seen her uplift others in unexpected ways, time and time again!

We are so thankful for her support and dedication to the work of CSPS, and we’re lucky to have a rockstar like Jo on our GSMP team! 🌟

One of Joanne Wallen's defining moments is commentating at the Paris 2024 Olympics. She is one of this year's People to Know in Sports.

08/17/2026

Huge high fives to Dr. Raju Dhakal (2023 Alumnus from Nepal) on his collaborative research publication!

An incredible accomplishment—publishing at a global level while elevating a powerful voice for those navigating rehabilitation.

Dr. Raju's work is creating

🌐 Global Networks
🔥 Unwavering Dedication
📢 Fearless Advocacy

Dr. Raju is making his voice known with the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine. How awesome to see the fruit of many people’s labor come together to create a powerful piece working toward a greater cause.

You are a shining light for Nepal, Dr. Rajul! 🌟🙌

https://www.archivesisprm.org/full-text/5/eng?fbclid=IwY2xjawTe4_RleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF6MlA0cURJdHdrdVlLSWtnc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp1WPoNwrifiEJ3Ax5W1GvieWPR7-j_PxrLwdZqryOCUij8Rmnm3-eR26Kg3_aem_SyXxrWVTdwX5i-_bLmchig

Rehabilitation is at risk: While the WHO's work must be safeguarded, policymakers need to commit to building local rehabilitation capacit Vanessa Seijas1,2,3,4, Mercè Avellanet4,5,6, Carlotte Kiekens7, Gerard E. Francisco4,8,9,10, Raju Dhakal4,11,12, Walter Frontera4,13, Abderrazak Hajjioui4,14,15,...

08/13/2026

Celebrating an incredible CSPS alum making a real impact 🌍⚾️
Po Chun Liu continues to inspire through her work with Taiwan Sport Forward Association (TSFA). 🙌 In partnership with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, TSFA is empowering Taiwanese girls with the skills, confidence, and knowledge to compete at a high level. 💪 From injury prevention to self-protection and leadership development, her programs are creating safer, stronger, and more inclusive spaces in sport! 👏

We are especially excited to see support from national leadership, including Vice President Bi khim Louise Hsiao 🇹🇼 This is a powerful sign of growing investment in girls and women in sport!

Keep changing the game, Po Chun 🔥

08/11/2026

SISTERHOOD FOR THE WIN!
Two of our sisters, Marisol Rodriguez (CSPS 2024 Alumni) and Amanda Gutierrez (CSPS 2025 Alumni) were chosen to speak at the DECIDIDAS Summit & Festival 2026 in Mexico City!! 🗣️

It is a major forum focused on WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP, economic power, culture, and sport. It brings together global leaders across business, sports, policy, media, and technology. 🏟️

The summit focuses on the theme “Future Economies and Cultural Currencies,” exploring how women are SHAPING new economic systems through sectors like sport, culture, finance, and technology. 🌎

Most importantly, the summit gave our ALUMNI a chance to turn it into a mini REUNION!

Marisol shared, “We already have these extra days planned to see each other and enjoy our time together. I’m beyond happy and excited!”

The CSPS sisters met up with one another, with the leaders ranging from CSPS classes of 2015-2025, and spanning from 4 countries (Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, and Spain)!!

This was an alumni-led, organic opportunity in sport to advance:
🤝People-to-people exchange
⚽️Youth development
⚖️Gender equity
And international partnerships 🇺🇸🇲🇽🇪🇨🇨🇷🇪🇸

In celebrating the power of SISTERHOOD, we want to share many HIGH FIVES in these cross-country and cross-cohort CONNECTIONS!! We love to see the sisters supporting each other!! 💪