“Leaving Ecuador’s flag flying high will always be the objective of the Ecuadorian Federation of University and Polytechnic Sports,” says the federation’s President Dr. Esteban Loaiza to FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy participant Dennise Lozada.
Ecuador’s participation in international university events, both sports and educational, has often been a challenge. However, the revival of many national sporting events recently has allowed universities and their students to showcase their sporting prowess, according to Loaiza.
The Ecuadorian Federation of University and Polytechnic Sports (FEDUP) was created in 2003 as an initiative of the Agrarian University of Ecuador, along with other higher educational institutions, under the leadership of the first FEDUP President Jacobo Bucarán.
Dr. Loaiza reveals that for some early years, FEDUP had many difficulties in planning and carrying out national sporting events, as well as participation in international competitions. This was largely due to scarce economic resources and the absence of an official directive or state intervention.
“In recent years, this has been changing and currently FEDUP works hard alongside 60 Ecuadorian universities, allowing more than 5000 students to participate in events and practice university sports,” declares Loaiza.
The most recent university sport event that took place at the national level was the National Inter-university Weightlifting Championship in 2019.
“The event was a real success because several public and private companies sponsored it,” continues Loaiza. “Other national events such as spring boarding and basketball were also successful.”
“In 2020 it was our intention to have more international participation regarding individual and collective sports. Now, we are waiting for the COVID-19 pandemic to end, so that we can start participating with our athletes in the world university championships.”
“Communication is a very important tool, especially at the moment,” says Loaiza. “We communicate with university presidents, clubs, sport leagues and the students through email, official letters and social networks. Thanks to technology, all institutions are connected and can be part of the events and activities that FEDUP organizes.”
FEDUP has several objectives, at a national level. Loaiza tells Dennise that FEDUP seeks to reactivate university sports with the execution of national championships in individual sport disciplines. This would also include a first National Universiade, thanks to the support from FISU America, to create a much more active and demanding sports system in the country.
“In order to participate in individual and group sports at an international level, objectives are met through state sponsorship and support. By the end of this year, we want to organize the first ‘Ecuadorian Leading Athletes Meeting’ to help create university sport policies and have important roles within universities,” says Loaiza.
“We have set ourselves the challenge of participating with a large delegation in the next World University Games, allowing the name of Ecuador to appear again on the map of the worldwide university sports movement.”
In its next international participation, Ecuador will send this writer, Dennise Lozada Tobar, as its first-ever ambassador to the 2020 FISU Volunteer Leaders Academy that was originally scheduled to be held in Kazan, Russia but will now be held online.