newsletter_logo header02_2015 EUSA Newsletter 02-2015, ISSN 1855-4571 EUSA as observer in the EU Expert Group European University Sports Association (EUSA) was recently granted a status of observer in the European Commission's Expert Group on Human Resources Development in Sport (XG HR), in the topic of volunteering. EUSA Secretary General Mr Matjaz Pecovnik attended the inaugural meeting of the Expert Group, which took place on February 17, 2015 in Riga, Latvia. The meeting began with the welcome addresses and introduction of the agenda by the Expert Group Chair, Mr Guy Taylor and EU Sport Unit Policy Officer, Ms Agata Dziarnowska. After the introduction of the representatives of the EU member states, the representatives of the observes shortly introduced their organisations and their experience in the area of sport in relation to volunteering. Mr Pecovnik reported on the EUSA volunteer programme, focusing on the last edition of the European Universities Games, with over 100 international volunteers involved in the event. He also presented EUSA experiences in running the Internship and the European Voluntary Service Programs as well as the view on the topics of minimum rights and privileges of the sport volunteer, promotion of volunteering in sport on the national and EU level, and legal and fiscal questions connected with the volunteering in sport. In the continuation of the meeting, the draft document structure on the recommendations to encourage the volunteering in sport, including best practices on legal and fiscal mechanism was presented and discussed among the participants. More information SUSA reviews 2014 activities and plans for 2015 - 05 February 2015 02-02 The Board of the Slovenian University Sports Association (SUSA) held its regular meeting in January in Ljubljana. The Board evaluated the programme implemented in 2014, general plan for 2015 and confirmed the delegation members of the 27th Winter Universiade. Inspection visit EUC Table Tennis 2015 - 06 February 2015 04-02 The University of Geneva welcomed for 3 days the EUSA Table Tennis Technical Delegate Mr Andrzej Hrehorowicz for the traditional inspection visit, organised between January 29 and 31. Mr Hrehorowicz stayed at the 4 star hotel Ramada Encore where all delegations will be hosted. EUSA at the 2015 Erasmus+ Sport Info Day - 12 February 2015 06-02 European Commission and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) organised the second Erasmus+ Sport Info Day on February 11 in Brussels, Belgium. The aim was to explain the funding opportunities available under the Sport chapter within the Erasmus+ programme, with special focus on the upcoming submission deadline for collaborative partnerships and not-for-profit sports events. Invitation to the 2015 Sveti Duje rowing regatta - 13 February 2015 07-02 The Croatian Academic Sports Federation (CASF) and the local organising committee in Split are inviting university eights team to the International rowing regatta in Sveti Duje / Split which will be held on May 9 and 10, 2015. Inspection visit EUC Rugby 7s 2015 - 16 February 2015 09-02 Godollo, Hungary will host the 7th European Universities Rugby 7’s Championship between July 22 and 25, 2015. On February 4 and 5, 2015, EUSA Technical Delegate for Rugby Mr Jack Jacobs and EUSA Sports Manager Mr Patrik Perosa visited Godollo as part of the regular technical inspection visit. Promotion of EUC Karate 2015 - 18 February 2015 10-02 The organisers of the 2015 European Universities Karate Championship, which will be held in Zabljak, Montenegro this summer, are actively promoting the event also by attending other karate competitions. The Organisers were therefore present at the EKF European Karate Championships Juniors, Cadets & U21, which was held in Zurich, Switzerland between February 6 and 8, 2015. February 2015 EVS on-arrival training - 18 February 2015 11-02 Ms Anna Edes and Mr Niels Nuernberger, the European Volunteer Service (EVS) volunteers in the European University Sports Association (EUSA) participated in the on-arrival training for all EVS volunteers in Slovenia. The seminar took place in Lasko between February 9 and 13, 2015. EUSA present at the International Sport Conference in Riga - 18 February 2015 12-02 On February 16, 2015, the international conference “Sport and Physical Activity for Development of the Human Capital” was organised in Riga (LAT). The conference brought together 130 participants - EU leaders in the world of sport and representatives from sports organisations from 29 European countries. European University Sports Association (EUSA) was represented on the conference by Mr Matjaz Pecovnik, Secretary General. SCORE project: partners kick-off meeting - 19 February 2015 13-02 The new project, "Strengthening Coaching with the Objective to Raise Equality - SCORE", which was selected for funding through Erasmus+ Sport Programme in December 2014, officially kicked off with partners' meeting on February 16 and 17 in Stockholm, Sweden. Invitation European Universities Orienteering Trophy 2015 - 20 February 2015 14-02 Spanish city Titaguas near Valencia will host the European Universities Orienteering Trophy between April 24 and 26, 2015. The event will be held together with the International Orienteering Open, organised by the University of Valencia, together with local organisers. The event is approved by the Spanish and International Federation of Orienteering and the European University Sports Association (EUSA). Preparation meeting for the EUSA Conference and Convention 2015 - 23 February 2015 16-02 EUSA Office team consisting of Secretary General Mr Matjaz Pecovnik, Sports Manager Mr Patrik Perosa and Communications and Projects Manager Mr Andrej Pisl visited Zagreb on February 20 for a working meeting, preparing for the 2015 EUSA Conference and Convention. They were met by the CASF and EUG2016 team, including the Sports Manager Mrs Danira Bilic, General coordinator Ms Jelena Matesic and CASF and EUG2016 President Mr Zrinko Custonja. Top student athletes meet the Russian President - 25 February 2015 17-02 The past Winter Universiade, held in Granada, Spain, and Strbske Pleso and Osrblie, Slovakia, brought together 2,440 athletes from 42 countries. Russia’s team came top in total medal count with 56 medals, including 20 gold, 18 silver and 18 bronze. After the triumphal winning, The Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin met with Russian athletes, winners of the 27th World Winter Universiade, on February 17, 2015. EUSA University Sport Exhibition opens in Trieste - 26 February 2015 19-02 After being hosted at the Slovenian Universities in Ljubljana and Koper, the EUSA exhibition on university sport was opened on February 23 in Trieste, Italy, at the Rectorate of the University of Trieste, where it will be hosted until the beginning of March. Invitation Friendship Games 2015 - 27 February 2015 20-02 The Friendship Games were established as a basketball tournament in Israel aiming at the participation of Israeli Jews and Arabs, and other countries of conflict in order to build friendship, and understanding between students. The first edition was held in 2006 with 8 teams taking part, and the even since then, also regarding the diversity in participation. Invitation SELL Games 2015 - 27 February 2015 21-02 The traditional SELL Games will be held in its 31st edition between May 15 and 17, 2015 in Kaunas, Lithuania. This edition will not only feature 13 sports on the programme, but will also mark the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Lithuanian Students’ Sports Association (LSSA). Invitation European Universities Cricket Trophy 2015 - 27 February 2015 22-02 Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria, will host the 1st European Universities Cricket Trophy between July 15 and 18, 2015. The event is organised by the Bulgarian Students Cricket Union and Bulgarian Cricket Federation, supported by the Association for University Sport Academic and held under the patronage of the European University Sports Association (EUSA). Invitation EUSA Cup Aesthetic Group Gymnastics 2015 - 27 February 2015 23-02 EUSA Executive Committee granted the title EUSA Cup to the European Universities Aesthetic Group Gymnastics, which will be organized in Tampere, Finland between April 24 and 26, 2015. The Aesthetic Gymnastics event in Tampere will feature AGG World Cup and Challenge Cup Finals, EUSA Cup and Tampere Cup. All participants will also have a chance to perform at a special gala event. This will be the 4th edition of the European Universities Cup in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics. EUSA present at HUSF General Assembly 2015 - 28 February 2015 24-02 On the invitation of the Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF), EUSA President Mr Adam Roczek and Secretary General, Mr Matjaz Pecovnik visited Budapest from February 26-27, 2015. EUSA representatives firstly attended the HUSF General Assembly. In his welcome speech, Mr Adam Kiss, HUSF President welcomed the delegates and guests, also specifically thanking Mr Roczek and Mr Pecovnik for accepting the invitation to the Assembly. EUSA at the Sport Respects Your Rights Conference - 28 February 2015 25-02 Within the project Sport Respects Your Rights Conference, focusing on empowering young Europeans in sport for a culture of respect and integrity - against sexualised violence and gender harassment, the final conference with the same title was held in Vienna on February 26 and 27, 2015. European University Sports Association (EUSA) was represented at the conference by its Communications and Projects Manager Mr Andrej Pisl. FISU Section FISU Section First part of the Winter Universiade 2015 concluded - 02 February 2015 01-02 February 1 was the last day of competition of the 1st part of the 27th Winter Universiade in Strbske Pleso/Osrblie in Slovakia. This year's Winter Universiade will continue in Granada, Spain from February 4 to 14, 2015. The closing ceremony reflected the Slovak organization: efficient and always heart-warming. First Vice-President of FISU, Mr Oleg Matytsin also stressed this in his speech to the authorities. Second part of Winter Universiade 2015 starts - 05 February 2015 03-02 The Opening Ceremony of the 2nd part of the 27th Winter Universiade was held on February 4 in the Congress Palace in Granada. It is rare that an opening ceremony takes place inside and in the presence of a philharmonic orchestra. The delegations were invited for march-pass on stage before the speeches and the traditional entrance of the FISU flag. Campus #31 available online - 12 February 2015 05-02 The 31st edition of Campus, TV show produced in cooperation of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) and the Eurosport, is now available also online. The latest release was shown end of January. The shows are aired on Eurosport channels in the evenings; please see www.fisu.net, www.eurosport.com or your local TV guide for exact times. 2015 Winter Universiade concludes - 15 February 2015 08-02 The 27th Winter Universiade concluded with the closing ceremony following the men's ice hockey final on February 14, 2015. The thrilling final match saw teams of the two nations that will welcome the next Winter Universiades - Kazakhstan (Almaty 2017) and Russia (Krasnoyarsk 2019). Russia won in front of full house with 5,000 spectators, putting it also on top of the medal tally of the Games. Reminder: FISU Gender Equality Award 2015 - 22 February 2015 15-02 The FISU Gender Equality-Sport Award is given to an existing project developed by a federation, an organisation, an institution or an individual to promote gender equality in the framework of university sport. Particular attention is given to projects that could act as models for other countries, regions and/or continents. FISU Young Reporters for Gwangju Universiade selected - 25 February 2015 18-02 The FISU Media & Communication Committee, chaired by EC member Verena Burk, has made the final selection of the 12 young journalists who will be part of the FISU Young Reporters’ Programme (YRP) during the Summer Universiade in Gwangju, Korea this July. A total of 131 (63 male & 68 female) candidates representing 51 countries applied. The selected reporters will undergo a training programme and will team up as the U-Media Reporters of FISU’s Media Department during the 28th Summer Universiade. What's up! Section - Student Column What's up! Section - Student Column Meeting EUSA Student Commission 2014-16 In this month’s student column we meet the new members of the Student Commission. Every year four new members are selected for a two-year term. The group is formed of nine members from different European countries. Throughout their two year term the members take on various roles such as the Volunteer Programme, Networking Projects, Student Communication and other programmes, working as a team. One of the new members is Conor Traynor from Ireland. Conor is 23 and lives in Dublin. He is currently studying for his Master’s in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering at Trinity College Dublin. He is also Vice-Chairperson of Student Sport Ireland (SSI), the Irish National University Sports Association. Before University Conor didn’t have much involvement in sport but since coming to Trinity he has taken up both fencing and rowing and has become very involved in the administrative side of student sport in both his University and at a National level. From being captain of the university fencing club and coxing the senior crew in the rowing club he has gone on represent the 6,000 students in Trinity involved in club sport and all of Ireland’s third level sports students. To be a voice for that many people is one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences he has had the opportunity to experience yet. By having the chance to work with so many professionals and students on projects that range from fit and healthy lifestyles and domestic leagues to working with the Irish Head of Delegation for the World University Games he has learned a great deal. He hopes to bring that experience to his new position on the Student Commission. He hopes that during his tenure he can increase the participation of Ireland in EUSA organised events and continue to encourage students to become involved in all aspects of third level sport. Another new member of Student Commission is Grisha Amirkhanyan. Grisha is twenty two years old and lives in Armenia. Grisha is doing his PHD in marketing at the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE). From the early years of studying Grisha has been actively involved in many student and youth organisations. From 2014 he has been the Vice President of the Student council of ASUE, Board Member of Armenian National Students Association, which is a member of the European Students Union. Grisha has many responsible positions within the listed Committees. His mission is to promote, distribute and protect students’ rights by forming a cohort of students who are able to realize what their rights and responsibilities are able to stand for. Grisha is doing his best to implement this very important mission and since 2011 he is a one of the youngest members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, which is aimed to activate participation of youth in legislative process. As well as these activities Grisha is an “A” class chess player, non-professional table tennis and volleyball player who loves swimming and skiing as well as other activities. Since 2011 he is an active member of Armenian Student Sports federation (ARMSSF) and in 2012 he was organiser of the Chess and Volleyball competitions between Armenian university teams. Now he is responsible for volunteers program of ARMSSF, supported also by FISU. Being elected as a member of the EUSA STC, Grisha hopes that his experience will be useful for initiating new projects and also new means and methods of working in EUSA will be applied in his national organization. Bella Colafrancesco is another of the latest additions to the EUSA Student Commission, based in the county of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. She completed her undergraduate degree in sport and exercise science whilst at the University of Hertfordshire and then followed on to do her masters by research in 2012, specialising in the impact of physical activity on the transition period for first year undergraduate students. During her studies Bella chaired the university’s hockey club and worked for the county sports partnership, focussing on the university’s physical activity programme “Active Students”. In 2013 she successfully ran in her Students’ Union election for the position of Vice President Student Activities and following a triumphant re-election, is currently 18 months into her term of office. Outside of her elected position, Bella is a keen sportswoman competing at a variety of levels in hockey and is passionate about the values of sport. Over the years Bella has undertaken a variety of sports related positions including being a young ambassador for the Youth Sports Trust, a member of the East Region Hockey Association’s Youth Panel, working for the England Hockey Board; supporting them in the youth development programme and holding a variety of voluntary positions with BUCS, most notably being selected as the female delegate for GB in advance of the 2014 FISU Forum in Gwangju, South Korea. Bella applied to be a member of the EUSA Student Commission as she feels as though they share many of the values that she holds in terms of sport and physical activity. It is also an amazing opportunity to engage with students all over Europe and she believes that the projects the commission leads on are extremely worthwhile and beneficial in supporting and developing student leaders. The Final member to join the Student Commission is Andrey Pavlov from Russia. Andrey was born on the 17 of august in 1992 in Irkutsk Region in Russia. He studies at the Siberian Federal University in Krasnoyarsk at the Institute of Physical Education, Sport and Tourism on the specialty of Recreation and Health Tourism. Andrey is a fourth -year student and his major runs for four years. 2015 is the last course for his bachelor program. Following on from Andrey’s bachelor’s degree he hopes he can get on a Master’s program at the university and continue his education on the specialty of management of sport and tourism. His preferred sport is orienteering where he has trained for ten years. He won on The Russian Junior Orienteering Championships and was a competitor of the Junior World Orienteering Championship in Norway in 2011. Andrey’s passion is the organisation of sports event. Which he has been heavily involved in for two years. Andrey loves to overcome difficulties and challenges where he feels the importance of his work. At the moment, Andrey is busy in the organisation of the World Ski Orienteering Championship 2017 in Krasnoyarsk where he is the assistant event secretary and is hoping he can work in the Directorate of the 29th Winter Universiade 2019 in Krasnoyarsk. Andrey believes that the STC is a good chance to improve his organisation skills, improve his language skills and meet with new people. Conor, Grisha, Bella and Andrey joined the EUSA Student Commission, which is composed also by Marion Höchli from Switzerland, Eileen Schindler from Germany, Nikola Vincetic from Croatia, Magdalena Wolowiec from Poland and Bruno Barracosa from Portugal, who is also the Chair of the Commission. We would like to officially welcome the new members to the EUSA Student Commission group and look forward to working with them. The first live meeting will be held during the EUSA Conference March 26-29 in Zagreb, Croatia. Are you a student with an opinion? We are looking for new contributors for our student column every month. Feel free to contact stc@eusa.eu to offer a piece or propose a topic. read more >> Published by: European University Sports Association (EUSA) Office: Tomšičeva ulica 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana tel: +386 1 256 0056, fax: +386 1 256 0057 web: www.eusa.eu | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ Member of the International University Sport Federation EUSA - European University Sports Association This email has been sent to mcp@siol.net. You are receiving the European University Sports Newsletter as our registered user. To change your settings, please log on into your profile at www.eusa.eu or unsubscribe mcp@siol.net directly.