FISU First Vice President says Step Up programme demonstrates solidarity with student-athletes

In October 2020, FISU announced the all-new ‘Step Up’ financial aid programme to its member federations, and this week, we caught up with FISU First Vice-President and Chair of the Committee for the Development of University Sport, Leonz Eder, to find out more, as the registration deadline is less than two weeks away.

The FISU Step Up programme was previously known as the FISU Help Programme. It was first started at the Sheffield 1991 Summer Universiade and continued through fifteen summer editions until 2019.

More than 3000 student-athletes and NUSF officials representing less privileged countries have taken part in the programme so far, including some medallists.

For some National University Sports Federations (NUSFs) that don’t have significant budgets for university sports in their country, this programme provides them the only opportunity to take part in this mega multi-sport international event.

While the objectives continue to be the same, i.e. the further development of university sports, the revamped programme has modified criteria and casts the net much wider. Leonz Eder sheds light:

Q: The FISU Step Up programme for Chengdu 2021 World University Games was previously known as the FISU Help Programme. What is new or different other than the name?

Eder: First of all, ‘Step Up’ is really the perfect name for this programme, as it has proved to be efficient for the development of university sports in many countries.

The best example is probably Argentina, that used to send one official and two student-athletes to the summer Games, such as the Universiades in 1993 and 1995. Through this programme and with great enthusiasm and passion, they developed to a point where they had 176 student-athletes in Taipei in 2017, without financial support from FISU. This is the model we would like others to emulate.

In terms of what’s new, we modified some application criteria. Most importantly, it’s not only the economic situation in the country represented by the NUSF which counts, but also the federation’s activities. The programme is thus now open for more members and, with the support from the Chengdu 2021 Organising Committee, non-member associations can also apply.

What are the objectives of the programme?

The main goal is to support our National University Sports Federations in developing their university sports, and thus, to promote university sports around the globe. In more detail, this means increasing participation of student-athletes and ensuring the involvement of more countries.

Furthermore, this programme also creates a platform for NUSFs to share experiences with colleagues from different countries and support each other, and to demonstrate solidarity with students around the world. This solidarity is evident in the financial aid and organisational support provided to send student-athletes to the World University Games.

How can an NUSF benefit from this programme? 

The NUSF can send their student-athletes and officials to the FISU World University Games in Chengdu with all costs covered jointly by FISU and the Chengdu 2021 Organising Committee. All delegation members will not only take part in the sports programme of the Games, they will also benefit from the Games’ educational programme and will have a chance to enjoy its rich cultural programme. Delegation officials will also meet colleagues from other NUSFs and will exchange ideas and experiences to find best solutions for the development of university sports in their country.

What kind of development plan do the countries have to present to be considered for this programme? 

They don’t have to present specific plans to participate, but the Step Up Programme is a way for FISU to encourage them to work on their long term plans. FISU would like to see that NUSF is working on its own development inside the country through sport and educational activities organised for student-athletes.

It is also important that participation in the FISU World University Games influences more than just one or two students. At the same time, we would like to make sure that the training process for the student-athletes is well planned and they get all the support needed to compete at the international level.

When will the announcements for the Step Up Programme for Chengdu 2021 be made? 

The list of NUSFs that will be accepted to participate in Chengdu 2021 FISU World University Games with financial support from FISU and the Organising Committee will be announced in January 2021, as NUSFs and FISU together with the OC have to prepare their list of student-athletes and make all travel arrangements.

The Step Up programme is available to countries with per capita GDP up to USD 3500. It is also available to countries with higher GDPs, as long as they present a strong development plan, and can demonstrate active local university sports activities.

For more information on the Step Up programme, please contact development@fisu.net