The third strategic dialogue with FISU America, held online on 13-14 July, reunited sports leaders from universities in America, National University Sports Federations (NUSF), the FISU World Forum organisers as well as other organisations. The aim of this dialogue was to discuss university sports management to further develop the university sports movement in the American continent.
The first day of the meeting started with a general introduction to FISU and its activities, followed by a round table discussing the impact and development of online sports, a seminar on the challenges post-covid for the National University Sports Federations (NUSF) and the different methods to raise awareness about university sports on media channels and concluded with a presentation of the FISU World Forum which will take place next year in Costa Rica.
“The strategic dialogue is one of the most important dates for FISU America because we can exchange ideas, information, experiences towards the development of university sports and the university sports system, and it is especially important during this time of pandemic,“ expresses Alim Maluf, President of FISU America, in his opening speech.
The second day’s theme was cooperation with stakeholders within university sports. The meeting included with a few seminars on the FISU Healthy Campus programme, collaboration with National Olympic Committees, financial strategies, relations with governments and a round table on the 2020 experience of the International Day of University Sports (IDUS).
The outcome of the meeting brought some new perspectives on how to plan and organise university sports events thanks to the valuable experiences of the various speakers.
“It is really important to develop networking, cooperation, long-term strategic planning and recognition, and the strategic dialogue helps towards these objectives,“ concludes Leonz Eder, President of FISU. “Long-term planning requires patience and dedication. This is not only true for FISU, but it is true down to each individual country and organisation. Networking, cooperation, and strategic planning leads to the recognition of university sports in academic societies as well as in states and sports activities.
