History of AISA

General History of AISA

• Since 2009, the Association of International Schools in Asia (AISA) has played a positive, integral role in promoting intercultural exchange among its member schools. Athletic directors from the four founding schools came together in the spring of 2008 with the like-minded goal of creating an East Asia activities league that provided the structure for international competition along with the flexibility to adapt as the league developed. The success of AISA today is a testament to the dedicated work of the league’s early years.

• The founding schools - Korea International School (KIS), Seoul International School (SIS), Senri and Osaka International Schools (SOIS), and Yokohama International School (YIS) - began play during the 2008-09 school year in a few invitational events leading to the first official AISA competitions starting in 2009-10.

• Since its start in 2009, AISA has hosted several events each year involving hundreds of students. Events currently include volleyball, basketball, soccer and badminton tournaments; cross country meets; math mania competitions; and leadership conferences. Other events have included tennis, swimming, choir, band, and orchestra. Hallmark characteristics of the league have been the camaraderie and fair play shown among students, coaches, and directors, leading to long-lasting friendships.

• In the fall of 2016, Busan International Foreign School (later known as International School Busan, ISB) joined AISA. ISB withdrew from the league in the spring of 2020. Filling the gap, Korea International School Jeju joined the league in the fall of 2019. In the fall of 2021, Kaohsiung American School became a probationary member, thus extending AISA competition to six schools from South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.