ODUPA Conference in Cuba - Day 1

On October 8th, at the Universidad de Oriente of the city of Santiago de Cuba started the 1st conference organised in Cuba on international University Sport. This event is organised under the umbrella of the Pan-American University Sport Organisation (ODUPA) which is a FISU Associate Member.

The Universidad de Oriente was founded in 1947 and has 17,000 students.

Mr. JakobThe session started by the welcome words of Mrs. Luisa Villafruela Loperena director of the International Relations Department of the University, followed by Mr. Stefan Bergh, FISU Vice-President and by Mr. Julio Jakob, President of the Pan-American University Sport Organisation (ODUPA). Attending the Conference as well were Mr. Gil Ramon Gonzales, current Vice-Minister of Higher Education and former FISU Assessor (until 2003) and the Vice-Rector, Mrs. Lizzette Perez.

The academic session started by the presentation of Mr. Alberto Gualtieri, with the subject: ‘Continental University Sport Organisations in their relation with FISU’. Mr. Gualtieri who is President of the European Universities Sport Association (EUSA) and member of the FISU Executive Committee is also scientific collaborator at the Universidad de Oriente. He explained that the needs of the different parts of the world are very different and the structures leading university sport as well. Therefore in conducting projects with FISU, all partners must be aware of these differences in evaluating and developing activities. He also spoke of the necessity to strengthen the co-ordination and the integration between the regional and the continental organizations. Finally he insisted that all organizations linked to FISU must work to make FISU stronger and better known worldwide and this important task can only be done by working together.

The last presention of the day was made by José Balsinde, Secretary General of the University Sport Federation of Cuba and Member of the FISU International Control Committee. His speech was entitled: ‘Development of University Sport in Cuba’. After a historical general overview of sport in Higher Education in Cuba, he gave some figures on the university sport events organised in Cuba or in which Cuba took part in. The first multisport event ever organised in the country was the National University Games in 1961. This event is called Universiada since 1989. He pointed out the fact that Cuba is a founding member of the University Sport Organisation of the Central American and Caribbean (ODUCC) and sends a delegation to the ODUCC games on a regular basis since 1972. The Cuban University Sport has a long tradition with FISU as a Cuban delegation participated in the Universiade of Sofia in 1961 and from then onwards they only missed two editions. We must underline that Cuba in each of its participation came back home with medals.