40+ global universities on board as FISU Healthy Campus completes 6 months

More than 40 major global universities have come on board, as the FISU Healthy Campus

programme reaches its six-month milestone. Launched on 12 May 2020, the FISU Healthy Campus programme

aims to enhance all aspects of well-being for students and the campus community at large.

Looking to reverse the well-established trend of young adults compromising their health during their academic

careers, the initiative is already having a positive impact on the lives and lifestyles of university students around

the world.

"At FISU, we’ve established a clear goal to extend our activities to the wider student community. Society is

changing and we need to change with it," says FISU President Oleg Matytsin. "If we do not, there is something of

an existential threat to widespread adult participation in sport."

FISU Secretary General-CEO Eric Saintrond agrees that the role and reach of university sports extends well beyond

competitions and elite athletes.

"With the Healthy Campus project, we have found a way to extend our activities to all students; not just elite

student-athletes," says Saintrond. "We believe that FISU has a very important social responsibility and we want to

reach millions of students."

The far-reaching programme already has 42 global universities, representing more than 30 countries and five

continents, on board and three of them have already received the certification.

"The real strength of this programme is the holistic view of wellbeing in every aspect across the entire campus

community," says Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg.

"Linking this project to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) gives the project more traction

whilst it also benefits the individual universities."

FISU Healthy Campus & University Relations Director Fernando Parente further explains the benefits for

universities.

"Signing up for the programme will help universities work towards UN SDGs in an organised manner and

consequently get into leading university rankings," says Parente. "They can learn best practices from other major

universities around the world and at the same time, promote cohesion and coordination among all their

departments and services."

The Healthy Campus programme is open to all universities in the world through the

official www.fisuhealthycampus.sport platform. Universities can register on this platform and get access to a

global network of best practices, successful projects and knowledge. Also on the platform, universities will find

the 'Standard Document' with detailed information and scientific criteria to earn the official certification – the

‘Healthy Campus Label’.

The Standard Document was developed with the support of more than 30 recognised international experts in the

field of health and contains 100 criteria to develop programmes. The University of Lausanne (UNIL) has been

involved with developing this document from the conception stage.

"We have been privileged, from the beginning, to be able to collaborate with FISU on the Healthy Campus Project,"

says Pierre Pfefferle, UNIL-EPFL Director of Sports Services. "Collaborating with an International Federation gives

us more credibility and, above all, will bring us teachings that will help us optimise our approach and knowledge."

While the objective of registration in the first year will be to earn the certification through implementation of

health and fitness programmes, from the second year onwards, the FISU Healthy Campus Label will be awarded

at five levels: Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. For more information on the FISU Healthy Campus

project, please write to healthy.campus@fisu.net.

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