The WAT Athletics program strives to develop caring, competitive student-leaders. We strive to instill the Orange, White, & Black spirit in our community by supporting student-athletes in their mission to succeed on and off the field.
The WAT Athletics program has grown significantly in the past three years. Since 2017, the Lions have been active members of the Tirana Association of International Schools (TAIS) and participated in athletic events against several other private organizations in the Tirana area. The Lions feature three competitive levels, upper PYP (grades 3-5), lower MYP (grades 6-8), and senior level (grades 9-12), in addition to clubs and intramural activities at different levels. Our main competitive sports are football, basketball, and volleyball, which run seasonally by level. Our K-2 students participate in a sports club that allows them to work on communication skills, collaboration, and development.
Our dedicated coaches give their time to develop these young athletes into excellent student-leaders and role models. Working with the students 2-3 days per week, the coaches commit their time to developing drills, team dynamics, and skill development. In working with the DP student-athletes and serving CAS objectives, some of the student-athletes volunteer their time to work with other teams as assistant coaches. Our PYP teams, MYP teams, and Senior teams have all boasted student coaches fulfilling their CAS requirements and improving the program.
Our program has boasted several PYP and MYP Championships in the past three years, including PYP Boys Football Championship (Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018), PYP Girls Football Championship (Spring 2018, Fall 2019), MYP Girls Football (Spring 2019, Fall 2019), and MYP Girls Basketball at the TIS Invitational (Winter 2020).
Our senior teams have multiple playoff appearances and second-place finishes. The Senior Girls' Football Team took home first place in the TIS Invitational Tournament in the Fall of 2019. Additionally, in the fall season of 2019, our Senior Boys' Football team became the first Lions to win a championship in the senior division.
Most importantly, our program works to develop considerate, caring sportsmen (and women). Through high sportsmanship standards, our players develop collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills outside of the classroom. Our competitive student-athletes took home two TAIS Sportsmanship Awards in the 2018-2019 season as recognition for their hard work and dedication throughout the year, for Senior Boys Basketball and Senior Girls Volleyball.
