Being the new kid in school is tough. Moving from a rural area to one of China’s huge urban centers is tough. Put the two together, and it’s really tough. In China hundreds of thousands of youth have to face this when their parents migrate to the cities from rural villages for jobs.

To ease this tough transition, Nike China has worked with over 255 schools to implement a sports program. With the common language of a ball and a goal, kids are able to overcome the isolation and discrimination they face too often.

2,600 migrant kids competed in the year-end competitions in four cities- Nanjing, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. For many this was their first formal competition, and they left no sport untouched, competing in basketball, football (aka soccer) and track.

Coordinating sporting events for thousands of kids is no easy task. Program partners, China Children and Teens’ Fund and New Great Wall, came through big time, helping to mobilize 500 volunteers including hundreds of university students.

For many kids, this was their first formal competition. But by the looks of it, it won’t be their last.