Colleges are gearing up for the China Olympics.

But not necessarily participating in the Olympics in the regular sense.

Colleges are going for Olympic gold in learning, by creating study-abroad programs in Beijing this summer which focus on learning about the Olympic Games.

According to the USA Today, programs range from one at George Washington University that examines the business side of the Games to one at the University of Pennsylvania’s which focuses on the role of the international news media and questions of intellectual property.

Students from Purdue, the Universities of Iowa, North Carolina and Missouri, and Ithaca and Emerson colleges are partnering with universities in Beijing to send student reporters to assist the Olympic News Service. Most will work at a specific venue to get athletes’ quotes for international news media.

Preparation for the Olympic News Service program wasn’t easy. Most schools used interviews and essays to narrow down potential participants. Students then had to learn reporting techniques and background on the sports they would cover. Some learned basic Mandarin phrases and studied Chinese culture.

Earlier this year, representatives from the Beijing Olympic Committee traveled to the USA to administer a test that included writing down and choosing good quotes, writing recaps of sporting events and participating in a verbal debate.

Students who are chosen must take weekly quizzes to stay sharp; they travel to Beijing this month to get acquainted with the facilities before they begin work.

It looks like there is more than one way to compete in the China Olympics.