After the schools, the universities. While concludes the seventh edition of Olympic and Paralympic Week, an operation to raise awareness of sports practice in schools, the Ministry of Higher Education, that of sports as well as the conference of heads of higher education establishments validated, on Friday, April 7, a new roadmap to promote the development of sport in universities.
The publication of these objectives follows the presentation, two months ago, of a report entitled “Sport, an ambition for the university” at France Universities. This institution, which brings together the leaders of French higher education establishments, noted that the place of physical exercise in universities remained largely insufficient.
Numerous analyzes have emphasized the relative sedentary lifestyle of the three million students in France. According to a report by the General Inspectorate for Education, Sport and Research (IGESR) dating from the month of January, only 60% of students said they practiced regular physical activity.
ECTS credits for sports lessons
With this new plan, the ambition is therefore to continue to democratize and intensify the physical activity of students, on and off campus. “We wanted to transform the trial and create the conditions, with our establishments, for strengthening the sporting practice of our students, for their health and well-being”, welcomed Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education, in a press release. To this end, several measures have been announced to help students reconcile work and sport.
The development of free practice within campuses, by widening the opening slots of university sports halls, will be a major pillar of the plan, as will the generalization of the granting of credits European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) , the European student assessment system, for optional sports lessons.
This measure, implemented by the University of Paris Cité in 2022, as part of its experimental “sport and health” system, should allow many students to fit hours of physical activity into their schedule. Special support is provided to promote access to sports for people with disabilities.
“An integral part of the legacy of the Games”
The Olympic and Paralympic disciplines could be the first to benefit from this program, which calls for partnerships with sports federations. This has, for example, been the case for the French Rowing Federation, which has participated in the organization of the French University Rowing Cup since 2019.
For the Minister of Sports, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, this project is in line with the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: « This partnership approach is essential to sustainably boost the sports practice of our students and make it an integral part of the legacy of the Games, which must also inspire the development of student sports competitions. », she said in a press release. The creation of a “Universiade”, an inter-student sporting event, is scheduled for spring 2024.
To facilitate the financing of these measures, a minimum threshold (7% to 8%) of the Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC), which students in initial training pay each year, can now be devoted to sports expenses. . The Pass’Sport system, tested for the first time in the fall of 2021, will also be renewed. This allocation of 50 euros, which benefited 1.2 million people in 2022, despite the 6 million potential recipients, should enable scholarship recipients to finance all or part of their registration in clubs.