The United States Sports Academy’s longstanding certification program to provide advanced sport education to prepare students in Thailand for careers in sport recently was extended with the signing of an agreement with sport leaders in Thailand to hold the program again in 2019. Signing the agreement in Bangkok between the Academy and the Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) are, from left, Teerapot Siriwan, SAT chief of human resources development; Prachoom Boontiam, director of regional sports development; Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich; Boonto Sangvien, acting governor of the SAT; Jinda Dechpimol, SAT director of human resources; and Akrouw Sangesith, secretary of the vice minister for Tourism and Sports.
DAPHNE, Ala. – The United States Sports Academy’s longstanding certification program to provide advanced sport education to prepare students in Thailand for careers in sport recently was extended with the signing of an agreement with sport leaders in Thailand to hold the program again in 2019.
During a recent international tour of nations to connect with the Academy’s many educational partners around the world, Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich signed an agreement with leaders of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) to extend to 2019 its International Certification in Sports Coaching (ICSC) and International Certification in Sports Management (ICSM) programs.
The post-secondary, non-degree programs in Bangkok are designed to prepare people in Thailand for careers in coaching and related athletic professions. The ICSC program includes a wide range of coaching and related administrative skills, while the ICSM program includes management topics such as sports event planning, marketing and public relations, and facilities.
Each year under the program approximately 100 students are drawn from the SAT and its affiliated sport organizations around the country to attend the certification programs — typically 50 for each certification. Following the conclusion of the classroom portion of the program in Bangkok, which is provided by Academy instructors, the SAT selects the best students from each program for a special study tour of sport in America.
From 7-22 September of this year, a delegation of students and administrators from the SAT will take part in an educational tour of various sports organizations and venues for two weeks from coast to coast in the United States. The program culminates with a graduation ceremony and reception hosted by the Academy faculty and staff at the Academy’s campus in Daphne, Ala.
Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich, left, discusses sport education cooperation in Thailand with Pongpanu Svetarundra, Thailand’s permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
This year’s sports study tour will include sports tourism destinations in Hawaii; Hawaii Pacific University; the United States Olympic Committee Headquarters and United States Air Force Academy, both in Colorado; Rollins College and the University of Central Florida, both in Florida; the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Ala.; and the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Fla.
Sports education cooperation between the Academy and Thailand goes back to the 1980s and the Academy and the SAT have a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in sports education and training through 2020.
“Our relationship with the Academy has benefitted us greatly over the years,” said Jinda Dechpimol, SAT director of human resources.
“Our coaches and administrators have gotten a lot of knowledge from the Academy – when its instructors come to us and when we come to the sports study tour – that we have applied in Thailand. We have been more competitive and successful in the Southeast Asia Games, the Asian Games and also in the Olympic Games.”
Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich discussed new sports development initiatives with key leaders while in Thailand. From right are Dr. Anat Yodbangtoeypol of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports; Dr. Nilmanee Sriboon of the Department of Sports Science and Sports Development at Thammasat University; Rosandich; and Akrouw Sangesith of the Sports Authority of Thailand.
“The United States Sports Academy is pleased to have had such a long and positive relationship with the Sports Authority of Thailand, and we are especially proud of the role the ICSC/ICSM project and the sport study tour have played in providing sport education opportunities for the brightest and best students in Thailand to prepare them for careers in sport,” Rosandich said.
Thai students from the ICSC and ICSM programs, along with leaders from the Sports Authority of Thailand, are pictured with Academy President and CEO Dr. T.J. Rosandich during a visit to the institution’s campus in Daphne, Ala.
