Seton Hall Students Invited to Compete in International Olympic Case Study Competition

Seton Hall University will participate in the International Olympic Case Study Competition, giving undergraduate students the opportunity to tackle a real-world challenge from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and compete against students from universities around the world.

The 2026/27 challenge, “Driving Growth for the Five New Sports on the LA28 Olympic Programme,” asks students to develop a strategic roadmap and fan engagement strategy for one of the five sports that will be featured at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games: Baseball/Softball, Cricket (T20), Flag Football, Lacrosse (Sixes) and Squash.

This is an opportunity to go beyond the classroom and apply strategy, marketing, sport management and fan engagement concepts to a global sports challenge. Teams will be asked to think about how one of these sports can grow its audience, engage new fans and maximize the opportunity created by its participation in LA28.

The Competition

The competition will begin at Seton Hall with an internal university competition. Students will form teams of four and develop their recommendation in response to the IOC case study.

All participating teams will present their recommendations during the week of November 19, 2026. A judging panel will then select the team that will represent Seton Hall in the international phase of the competition. The Seton Hall champion will be selected before the last week of November.

The winning Seton Hall team will advance to the international semifinal stage, where it will compete against teams representing universities from around the world. The top teams will then advance to the international final, which will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, in March 2027.

If the Seton Hall team qualifies for the final, students will have the opportunity to travel to Switzerland with travel and related expenses covered. They will join students and universities from around the world and experience Lausanne, one of the global centers of the Olympic Movement.

An information webinar will also be held during the first week of October to introduce the case study, explain the competition format and provide guidance on the presentation and expectations.

Who Can Participate?

The competition is open to Seton Hall University undergraduate students from any school or academic program.

To participate, students must:

• Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at Seton Hall University
• Be from any Seton Hall school or academic program
• Be in good academic standing with a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Participate as part of a team of four undergraduate students

Students do not need to be studying Sport Management to participate. The competition is designed to bring together different perspectives and students with backgrounds in business, marketing, communications, technology, international relations, economics and other disciplines are encouraged to form a team.

Key Dates

September 30, 2026 — Team registration deadline
October 2, 2026 — Information webinar
November 19, 2026 — Seton Hall team presentations. Champion selected
December-January 2026–27 — International semifinal competition
March 2027 — International final in Lausanne, Switzerland

An Opportunity to Represent Seton Hall

For students interested in the future of international sport, this is a chance to work on an Olympic-focused challenge, develop a strategic recommendation for one of the world's most important sporting events and put those ideas to the test against students from around the world.

For the team that makes it all the way to Lausanne, the experience goes even further: an opportunity to gain international field experience, connect with the Olympic Movement and an international sports federation and learn alongside students and future sport leaders from across the globe.

Ready to compete?

Form a team of four and register by September 30, 2026.

REGISTER YOUR TEAM

Your Olympic journey could start at Seton Hall.

Categories: Athletics, Nation and World, Research