LAUSANNE – With just one month to go before campuses around the world start buzzing with activity on 20 September, preparations are on in full swing to ensure this fourth edition of the International Day of University Sport is another memorable one.
Last year set new participation records as hundreds and thousands of university students, institutions, cities and people came together to make the third edition of IDUS a resounding success. 97 countries participated in 2018, with nearly 500 sporting and recreational activities organised specifically for the occasion. The day was celebrated across the world not only by the National University Sports Federations, but also by their member universities and sports clubs.
The most active FISU member last year was the Hungarian University Sports Federation which organised more than 160 activities and mobilised 180 000 participants. Russia was a close second with 45,000 university students participating. Australia celebrated the International Day of University Sport by having their third edition of ‘Monash in Motion’ festival. Overall, the day was marked by innovative and enthusiastic celebrations worldwide.
Once again this year universities can not only participate, but in fact compete for prizes and the title of ‘most active university in the world’ as the University Step Challenge returns for a second time. It’s a fun challenge that encourages universities to get their students moving and will for 20 days from 1 to 20 September 2019.
The International Day of University Sport, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2015, is an ideal platform to promote university sports values and activities worldwide, and to reaffirm the importance of sport in the daily life of students. It is all part of FISU’s endeavour to create stronger sporting cultures in universities and encourage physical activity.
As every year, the various National University Sports Federations (NUSF) will have different and creative ideas of how to celebrate IDUS 2019 and FISU looks forward to witnessing the diverse events that represent the culture and personality of the countries. FISU has provided IDUS Guidelines to help NUSFs put together their own unique IDUS celebration plan.
The plans are falling in place and with 30 days to go, #LetsIDUS
