OLYMPIA, Greece — The Friends of Harvard Water Polo Head Coach, The James Herscot ’58 Coach of Excellence Ted Minnis and four Crimson student-athletes attended the 2026 Sport & Education Program at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece on July 6–10. Minnis was joined by Logan Brzozowski (wrestling), Nathalie Gregg (men’s lightweight rowing), Caitlyn Kukulowicz (women’s lightweight rowing) and Carrie Truong (women’s heavyweight rowing).
Hosted by Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Greece, the Sport & Education Program brings together the history of ancient Olympia to and modern-day amateur athletics. The event brought together student from universities across Greece, Harvard University, Penn State University and the University of Texas.
Minnis participated as a guest speaker on panels and discussions throughout the event, which also featured site visits, sporting activities and hands-on learning in ancient Olympia. He was joined on a seminar panel with representatives from Penn State, the University of Toronto and CHS Harvard’s Christos Giannopoulos.
“I am so lucky to have been able to experience this program on sport and ancient Olympia,” said Minnis. “The faculty were amazing and I feel I learned as much as the students. Watching our Harvard student-athletes interact with the Greek students was also a great part of the experience. Greece is beautiful and to be able to see where the ancient Olympics were and learn about it from experts is something I will never forget.”
SEP was organized by CHS Greece and the International Olympic Academy in cooperation with Harvard Athletics, the University of Patras and the University of Texas’ Stark Center with support of Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The program was open to up to five Harvard undergraduate student-athletes as well as undergrads from collaborating university in the US and Canada entering their third year or higher.
“I’ve been obsessed with the Olympics ever since I was a little kid,” recalled Kukulowicz. “Having the opportunity to travel to ancient Olympia and learn about how it all started was a truly incredible experience. The best part was meeting brilliant students and educators from Greece and the US and engaging in meaningful conversations about the history and future of sport in education. I have a newfound appreciation for being a student-athlete at Harvard, and going into my senior year, I certainly won’t be taking anything for granted.
“I am really grateful for the CHS at Harvard for putting this all together for us. I made so many friends here that I’ll have to come back.”
Release courtesy Harvard University Athletics Communications
