South Asia Project Provides Much Needed Coaching

Heavy rainfall and strong winds best describe the first few days of the AIA South Asia Project as the team of instructors began a month of sports training camps for college athletes with a soaking 30 minute run and pushups in the streets during monsoon season.

But the campers were prepared to begin rain-or-shine since hundreds of the university student-athletes participating do not have coaches and were eager to learn.

“The monsoon didn’t stop us. The students showed up so we had to go. They were just so excited to be there and they are so excited to get coaching,” says Ben*, the South Asia Project director.

After three years of running a one-week sports camp in South Asia with great responses and an increasing turnout, this year AIA was asked to direct four camps in four different locations.

“One of the hopes was that the original camp model would be reproduced in other regions and it totally has been now,” Ben says. “It’s not just about developing the project but it’s about how the project fits into the overall picture of the ministry in South Asia. My hope is that maybe we could run two or three South Asia projects every year.”

One camp was held in January while the other three were run in three consecutive weeks this summer, launching the inaugural South Asia Project.

While most AIA summer opportunities send teams to different countries to compete and answer questions of faith, the South Asia Project finds its purpose in training its student-athletes physically, mentally and spiritually to become the “total sportsman.”

“Students in South Asia don’t get coached. So a university basketball player will probably go through his whole career with maybe one coach for only one season,” Ben says. “We have found that instead of sending teams over to compete, one of the better things we could do is to send coaches over.”

The AIA team was a multi-national group and consisted of two current student-athletes from America, four recent college graduates, four American AIA staff members, three soccer coaches from South Africa and one massage therapist. They ran sport sessions for basketball, soccer, volleyball and track and field for a total of about 400 campers among the three one-week summer camps.

A typical day would encompass three sessions beginning with strength and conditioning followed by the individuals training in their respective sports. During the final session, teams are formed and compete against one another. 

“They all were amazed at the new techniques they learned from our coaches. Many thanked me for bringing over such a high-quality group of coaches to teach them,” Ben says.

Each evening, the coaches shared their life stories and faith. “We try to interact with the campers about their faith questions three different times throughout the course of the camp so the spiritual aspect of being a total sportsman is weaved in from beginning to end,” Ben says.

With about 80 percent of the campers coming from non-Christian backgrounds, the majority of the student-athletes has never heard the message of the gospel and is primarily drawn to the camp because of the opportunity to be coached.

Ben encountered one athlete who had never heard the gospel before and had many questions of faith but was opened to hearing him read a passage. As Ben read the story of Jesus’ arrest, death and resurrection the camper responded stunned, “Coach, is this true?”

This is where sport and God unite as many campers responded to the gospel message in a positive way throughout the three weeks.

“I think it was just incredible for our team to see how real the gospel is and how powerful that message is. God met us during our time there,” Ben says.

*Athletes in Action’s policy is to use only first names of AIA staff members in online stories.

By Elaine Piniat, AIA summer intern in the communications department.

Elaine.piniat@athletesinaction.org

News | Global