Historic Georgetown Cricket Match Creates Stronger Bonds between Doha and DC Hoyas

A recent cricket tournament hosted by Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), pitted student athletes from the university’s Doha and Washington, DC, campuses in a fierce but friendly 3-game match that represented the university’s first-ever cross-campus athletic competition. It was also a milestone in the university’s growing global identity in an increasingly interconnected world.

Signaling a move towards greater academic community collaboration and integration, the student-run tournament coincided with GU-Q’s DC-Doha Dialogue. This student-athlete focused initiative comprises a series of cultural and academic exchange programs between the two universities that aims to create meaningful connections between students from both campuses. The program previously sent GU-Q students to visit their peers in Washington, DC.

For the second half of the program, Georgetown student-athletes who compete in rowing, football, and basketball flew to Qatar for a unique opportunity to explore the culture, history, and sporting facilities of Qatar. The participants, as well as the tournament cricket players who took part in the activities, also engaged in meaningful conversations with their counterparts from the GU-Q campus.

For many of the participants, the experience was transformative. “Media representations aren’t necessarily accurate about the region. I think hearing first-hand from people who’ve lived here for many years and understanding their perspective on the region has cleared up some misconceptions and definitely improved my opinion,” said Sresth Viswanathan, a neurobiology major.

The visiting team won the first of three matches, with the GU-Q team prevailing to win the second and final game of the tournament. But DC Cricket Team member Matthew Turner said the competitive spirit between teams stayed on the pitch. “It was awesome to bring both teams together and to have dinner with each other and bond between the two campuses. That was a really special moment for me.”