EUSA Executive Committee meets in Warsaw

The first in-person meeting of the newly-elected Executive Committee of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) was held in the Polish capital Warsaw on November 12-13, 2021.

The meeting was hosted by the University Sports Association of Poland (AZS) in cooperation with the University of Warsaw, and the event is also supported by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

Participants were welcomed on behalf of the hosts by AZS Secretary General Mr Dariusz Piekut and Mr Marian Dymalski in his role as AZS Vice-President and FISU Vice-President. They also gave an overview of the activities of the organisation, presenting the main past achievements and future plans.

EUSA President Mr Adam Roczek thanked the hosts for the invitation and hospitality, and lead the meeting. One of the first points on the agenda was the overall office report, presented by EUSA Secretary General Mr Matjaz Pecovnik, followed by a financial report presented by the EUSA Secretary General and Treasurer Mr Francis Cirianni.

The Executive Committee members discussed the EUSA Sport Calendar 2022-2024, focusing on two upcoming seasons of the European Universities Games and Championships, as well as on the seasons for the future, where the bidding process is still open for the European Universities Championships 2025, and in process for the European Universities Games 2026. Other EUSA endorsed events and partnership sport events to be held in 2022 were also presented.

A delegation of the Organising Committee of the European Universities Games Lodz 2022 was invited to Warsaw to present the progress report of the event. The team in Poland is being expanded and is working hard to bring the largest university sport event in Europe to Lodz next summer. As due to Covid-19, the event in Belgrade unfortunately was cancelled, the Games in Lodz will be held after a break, opening the registration on December 15, 2021.

Apart of the sports events, EUSA Executive Committee members received an update of the projects, co-financed by FISU and the European Union. EUSA, through its Institute, is a proud partner in several projects, many of them co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. EUSA and the EUSA Institute carry our projects on the topics of anti-doping, dual career, equal opportunities and inclusion, good governance, mobility in sport, safeguarding, skills development, sustainability and volunteering. EUSA Institute is currently a coordinator of three larger projects: Inclusion in Sport (iSport), Supporting Mobility and Good Practice Exchange in University Sport (UniSport), European Universities Games (EUG) and Promoting Dual Career through Education of Young Journalists (PRODUCE), as well as a volunteering supported by the European Solidarity Corps (ESC).

As part of the Conferences and Meetings, the participants defined the plan for the upcoming Executive Committee meetings and EUSA-FISU Seminar for 2022, and also reviewed the report from the EUSA General Assembly and the EUSA-FISU Strategic Dialogue, held in Budapest in September 2021.

Under the topics of international cooperation, participants received updates from the members, FISU and continental federations, as well as the partner and other organisations. Apart of the presentation of the hosts (AZS), members also had a chance to hear updates from the Portuguese Academic Federation of University Sport (FADU), represented at the meeting by its President Mr Andre Reis and Secretary General Mr Manuel Veloso.

EUSA Executive Committee members discussed several internal matters, got acquainted with the candidatures submitted by the national university sports associations for the EUSA Commissions, which will be nominated at the next EUSA Executive Committee meeting, scheduled to be held online on December 20, 2021.

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Off-spotlight sports

This month’s What’s Up Student Column focuses on a not very well-known sport even though many might have heard about it: the Basque Pelota. We talked with Irantzu Idoiaga, a former high-level player, to learn more about the sport, her experience and challenges in balancing her sports and education obligations.

About the sport
Played individually or in teams, Basque pelota's goal is to hit a ball, one team after another, against the wall to score points.
Although considered as a traditional sport/game, there are many different variations of Basque pelota. The rules remain the same but the equipment changes as well as the number of walls required (from 1 to 4). Regarding the equipment, the ball and the bat are not in the same materials nor size for each modality.
This sport is quite popular in the Basque country and is an important part of the Basque culture. However, there is no national league as it is only played in the Basque region (both Spanish and French parts). Yet, some variations of the sport are played in several countries of the American continent, that is why some teams go from regional straight to international competitions.

Irantzu experience
Irantzu lives in the Bizkaia province, in the Spanish part of the Basque Country. She is 20 years old and is currently in her 3rd year of medical studies at the University of the Basque Country.
Until recently, she was playing in the Bizkaia team, representing the province during competitions. Her team won the gold medal in the Championships of the Basque Country in 2019 in the final against Nafarroa team.
She started playing at 7 years old with the hand-pelota, the traditional and very demanding version, but she quickly wanted to quit as it was damaging her hands too much. Her trainer advised her to try playing with a bat (pala) as she might like it more. She tried different variations and stuck with Pala con pelota de goma maciza (Pala with a gum ball).
Quickly she fell in love with the sport. She enjoys the sport itself, especially the technicality of it: ''You have to focus on strength, being fast and having eyes everywhere ''. Moreover, it is easy to set up: ''You only need a wall, a ball and a bat, racket or just your hands  to play''.  
It is not just about competing but also about having a good time: “I play sometimes with my friends and family for fun.'' Competitions made Irantzu’s team travel around the Basque country, meeting new people and making new friends.
She’s already been coaching kids before but does not wish to become a coach at professional level at the moment.

Gender representation in Basque pelota
Basque pilota is played by both men and women. Some variations such as Pala are mostly played by women and some others like the Esku pilota are mostly played by men. Men and women really play differently: women tend to focus more on strategies and techniques, while men mainly use strength in order to win a match.

Balancing university and competitions
She usually had two training sessions per week and she could have two or three competitions per weekend.
Covid19 stopped many sport activities for a while and Irantzu’s team got back on court with high intensity training sessions. While she never thought about quitting before, her serious shoulder injury is part of the reason she left her team in August 2021.
The other reason is the impossibility of balancing training with class. There is no doubt that medical studies keep students very busy and Irantzu does not have the time for training anymore.
She did not consider herself a high level athlete as she was not playing for a national team, as a result she did not expect any flexibility from her university.
“I kept on saying that I won’t stop playing but I knew deep down that at some point I will have to, I just did not know when”.

While Irantzu is currently focusing on her studies, she is thinking about starting playing again in the future. Now that you know more about Basque pelota, don’t hesitate to grab a ball and a bat or racket and give it a try!

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.

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