PORTO – Yesterday, July 21st, the competitions started in the fantastic Bessa Stadium which was constructed for the UEFA Cup hosted by Portugal in 2004. The WUC is played on a new artificial grass turf of the last generation and IRB approved.
The kick off of the 4th edition of this World University Championship was given early in the morning at ten. All results can be found on the website of the Organizing Committee at http://www.rugby2010.up.pt/, choose ‘Competition’ in the menu.
FISU Vice-President Luciano CabralAt 6 AM, the Secretary of Youth and Sport, Laurentino Dias, chaired the official Opening Ceremony of the World University Championship Rugby Seven’s organised by the University of Porto.
The ceremony started with a parade in the streets of downtown Porto with the three hundred students/athletes, coming from the nineteen countries that are participating in the biggest World University Rugby Sevens Championship to be accomplished in Portugal. The athletes paraded with a board with the name of the countries and their respective flag between the University of Porto rectory (Gomes Teixeira’s Square) and the Aliados Avenue.
There, in Aliados Avenue, Laurentino Dias made the Championship’s official opening statement, after the interventions of the Mayor of Porto, Rui Rio, from the Vice-President of FISU, the Brazilian Luciano Cabral – who welcomed the participants in Portuguese and English -, and from the President of the Organizing Committee, Manuel Janeira, pro-rector of the University of Porto.
Present also were the Portuguese members of the FISU Family, i.e. Pedro Dias, FISU Assessor; Fernando Parente, CIC member and Dr. Carlos Maghalaes, Medical Committee Member. Delegates of FADU and the Portuguese Rugby Federation attended the Ceremony as well.
(Source: Laurent Briel, FISU Director WUC)