Dulwich Olympiad 2019 – a celebration of art, sport, drama and music in London
March 2019, 400 years after Dulwich College was founded, over 900 students from 11 schools around the world gathered under cloudless blue skies in London for the second Dulwich Olympiad. Ranging from Year 7 to Year 13, artists, musicians, athletes, actors and actresses from Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, Zhuhai, Yangon, Singapore and Seoul flew in for five days of competition, collaboration and a once in a lifetime experience.
Olympiad highlights included:
- A drama performance of an Elizabethan play, Doctor Faustus, in the Queen Elizabeth Hall featuring students from every school
- Basketball tournament in the Copperbox at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- Swimming in the Aquatics Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
- Athletics at the Olympic Park, with the opportunity to train on the warm-up track used by Usain Bolt and Mo Farah
- Music featuring combined choirs, ensembles and orchestras, Taiko drums, Korean drumming performances in the Queen Elizabeth Hall
- Art workshops, football, touch rugby, pop up concerts, badminton and tug of war at our founding school, Dulwich College
Students also had opportunities to watch international football matches, rugby matches, London shows and even take a boat ride along the Thames.
The tradition of a Dulwich Olympiad was started in 2015 in Dulwich College Beijing, and is hosted every four years by a different school in the network. London was chosen for 2019 to coincide with the 400th anniversary and in the closing ceremony passed the responsibility to Dulwich College Singapore, the largest school in the Dulwich family with over 2,000 students, who will host the 2023 Dulwich Olympiad.
“In the current world climate, there has never been a more important time to break down cultural differences and bring people together”, said the Dulwich College International founder, chairman and CEO Fraser White. “Our motto is Detur Pons Mundo, Latin for building bridges to the world, and this is what we hope our students will do. We want our students to be equipped with the skills and more importantly the mindset so they can make a positive difference in the world.”
“This week has been amazing. We have done so many fantastic things, but what will be most memorable for me is the friendships I’ve made with other Dulwich College students from around the world,” said one Senior School student from Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong.
In the current world climate, there has never been a more important time to break down cultural differences and bring people together.
“I will cherish this event forever because it has provided me with the opportunity to develop many different skills and also to bond with students from all sorts of different backgrounds. The most fun event for me was the sports competition, where I learned that it's not about winning or losing, but it's all about the experience that I gained.”
Isabella
Dulwich College Beijing
“The workshop in Dulwich College gave me a chance to learn more about how to follow the artist's style whilst bringing my own individual style. It also gave me a chance to meet the students from other colleges all over the world.”
Lawrence
Dulwich International High School Suzhou
"Meeting with students from other schools was one of my favourite parts of the trip, being in a new environment is always a fun experience. It was nice to see blue sky and have carrot cake for lunch."
Mia
Dulwich College Shanghai Puxi
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