University Of Washington Jackson School Of International Studies

On July 24, 2025, three members of the U.S. Sepak Takraw National Team gave a demonstration and talk at the University of Washington, thanks to support from the UW's Center for Southeast Asia & Its Diasporas. That same day Ron Krabill, Director of the UW Global Sport Lab, sat down with them as well as a software engineer based in Washington, D.C. who played Takraw in Tamil Nadu, India, and the Executive Director of the Cambodian-American Community Council of Washington, who also received a Master's in Southeast Asian Studies at the UW's Jackson School, to discuss how Takraw is a Southeast Asian indigenous game that in recent years has been spreading to other parts of Asia, Africa, and the U.S. In the U.S. it is an important activity that builds community and connects Southeast Asian migrants and refugees to their heritage in the region. The Global Sport Lab, based in the UW's Henry M. Jackson School, is supported by over a dozen UW departments and schools and was founded in 2024. The Lab uses the lens of spo