The Rector's Conference, alluding to the Organization of the European Universities Games happened today, in Sala dos Capelos at the University of Coimbra, where the key personalities involved in the dynamics of the event discussed some thematics about the games. 85 people attended amongst rectors, vice-rectors and members from European Sports institutions, in a total of 40 universities and institutions present.

 

The event began with the opening session where Adam Roczek, president of the European University Sports Association, who highlighted the benefit of healthy competition between universities and that sport is one of the essential parts of social life in an academic context. João Paulo Rebelo, Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, also spoke at the opening session, as well as the rector of the University of Coimbra, João Gabriel Silva who congratulated the event organizers for promoting the importance of dual careers and that, beyond the competition, the games will unify European students. The rector of the UC spoke about the history of the university, important to provide the needed support for the athletes/students to balance both sports and studies. 

 

 

This combination and the importance of dual careers were discussed more deeply in the first discussion panel of the day, moderated by Beatriz Gomes, a professor at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the UC, in which Daniel Monteiro, president of the Portuguese Sports University Federation, referred that the main focus of the entity is the combination of youth, sport, and education, so dual careers are one of their major concerns. They are trying to find the necessary support for the athletes/students, next to the universities, so that they can focus on the studies and in sports practice at the same time. 

 

Bill Thompson, representative of the National Committee of Sports Association, and Cari Van Seuss, Head of the National Athletic and Academic Association, shared the opinion that education comes before everything and even though they believe that sports are a fundamental tool in people's intellectual growth, they support the idea that studies should always be a priority. Laura Capranica, who has focused on the subject of careers over the last few years, was quick to intervene and affirm that none of those concepts should "win" over the other but education and sport should walk hand in hand. The complement between the two realities is the secret for any successful young person, as she explained.