The International Day of University Sport is one month away and despite the challenges brought about by the year 2020, the sport community is gearing up to mark the occasion, within limitations, to ensure the spirit of sport and friendship continues.
The President of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) Dr. Raffaele Chiulli lauded the concept of the day, which is now celebrating its fifth year.
“For the past five years, the International Day of University Sport has become a key component of the efforts to ensure students around the world learn from the values of sport, by making it a part of their daily lives,” he said.
“When sport and physical activity are emphasised on one day, together, we take a vital step towards emphasising them every day. And knowing the many directions in which young people are pulled today, we at GAISF very much welcome this move to ensure a consistent, repeated and effective focus on sport.”
The International Day of University Sport, also proclaimed by UNESCO, is celebrated annually on 20 September and aims at creating links between universities and their local communities focused around sport, physical activity and healthy living.
Through this event, FISU aims to involve all university students in sport activities, not only elite athletes. IDUS is a platform to exchange ideas, best practices, challenges and opportunities within and through university sport worldwide. While this year, the IDUS-related activities may be limited, there is much that can be done with innovative ideas.
“Naturally, this year’s International Day of University Sport will be different from those that have gone before it,” Dr. Chiulli added. “Sports participation in its normal forms and in its normal places has been more challenging than any time we can remember.”
“We must continue to respond with more determination and more imagination than ever before. Knowing the university sport world to be resourceful and imaginative, I have no doubt you will succeed in making the best of the day. Please accept the best wishes of all of us at GAISF for a wonderful International Day of University Sport.”
30 days to go – mark your calendars!