Amílcar Falcão is the vice-dean of the University of Coimbra and he looks at the European Universities Games as the best publicity they could have on their project concerning the student/athletes dual careers. He also told us that UC aims to be a reference in universities sport, not only because of the achievements and the wins but mostly because sports are an important piece on student’s education.

What impact will hosting of EUG have on the promotion Coimbra and the University for those who aspire to pursue dual careers of student/athletes?

I think the impact will be very relevant because hosting the Universities Games is the best publicity we could have for our sports project and, in that way, the promotion the EUG bring to the city, associated with our strategy and our policy on dual careers and universities sports, will, without a doubt, be important for our goals. 

Do you think hosting this event will put Coimbra’s University as a reference for receiving European student/athletes? The UC wants to be that reference?

We want to be a reference in university sport, of course, but we want to be that reference not because of the medals or winning whatever we might win. We want to be a reference because we see sports has an important component in the formation of people, for their physical activity, for their sociability and even to develop their sense of teamwork and to know how to win and how to lose. Fundamentally, we wish to use sports in an educational way and that’s exactly where we want to be a reference.