Sports at the University of Coimbra

Sport is part of the University of Coimbra's mission to promote the well-being of our community. Since the beginning of its commitment to the promotion of sports activities, the UC has already received four awards for the best European University in Sports, hosted the European Universities Games in 2018 and, at the end of 2020, achieved the platinum certification of the Healthy Campus project, promoted by the International University Sports Federation, being one of the 40 universities in the world to achieve this recognition. We spoke to the University of Coimbra's Vice-Rector for Quality, Sport and Social Services, António Figueiredo, at the University Stadium to find out more about UC's sports mission and activities.

The sports activities at the University of Coimbra were designed with the mission of promoting the health and well-being of the UC community, offering the opportunity to teachers, researchers, staff, students and alumni to try different sports. In 2021, we spoke to the Vice-Rector for Sports, António Figueiredo, who said that there are currently six programmes to encourage sports practice at the UC, as well as benefits for student-athletes who successfully combine their academic and sports careers.

The University of Coimbra Games, a programme launched in 2018, is based on a competitive nature and was created not only to promote sports, but also to bring people closer to the UC community. EThis programme is divided into five distinct leagues, each aimed at the different groups that make up the UC universe: the Academic League is aimed at students; the Inter-Residence League is aimed at UC university residences; the Minerva League includes activities for the teaching and technical staff; the Alumni League calls on former students to practice sports; and the 2 I's League brings together UC partners in the areas of innovation and research, in the practice of ten sports. Through these leagues and the different sports that integrate them (such as tennis, badminton, basketball or futsal), the University of Coimbra is once again committed to connecting people and sports, as well as promoting interaction between all members of our University.

The wide range of sports offered by the University of Coimbra also provides other experiences. Sport in Student Residences is another programme also promoted by the UC for those living in university residences. UC+Ativa is another programme that encourages the practice of exercise at our University, through a series of content made available online, freely accessible, which can be watched and followed anywhere and are the resource used for the face-to-face promotion of "active breaks" for the UC staff. Another initiative is the easy access to bicycles, the UCicletas.

At Ucicletas, members of the UC community can sign up for a regular bicycle during the academic year, which they can use to get around the city of Coimbra. Recently the Walking and Running Group was set up to provide new opportunities for the UC community to engage in sporting activities.

Another fundamental part of Sport at the UC is the support to student-athletes.Tthe University of Coimbra is committed to supporting student-athletes who achieve good results both in school and in sport. This support translates into three aspects: assistance under the Student-Athlete Statute; the UC High Performance Support Programme; and the Santander UC Student-Athlete Scholarships, which annually support ten student-athletes.

Sport at the UC is a team effort. This shared project has the key input of the participants, but also of the coaches and monitors who are also part of the UC community: "The teaching staff of the Faculty of Sports Sciences and Physical Education of the University of Coimbra and also the students of the Social Support Programme for Students through Part-Time Activities (PASEP)" ensure monitoring in all activities, explains the Vice-Rector. Sport at the UC is a common project, designed for everyone, because we are always committed to the health and well-being of our community.

Content Production and Editing: Catarina Ribeiro and Inês Coelho, DCOM

Image Editing: Marta Costa, DCOM

Translation: Diana Taborda

^{Published on 27.05.2021}