2011 SU Update: Opening of the FISU Conference

Claude-Louis Gallien, CESU Chair and new FISU President during the opening ceremony of the FISU Conference

 The Universiade is not only a multisport event but also an educational event giving the opportunity to the students-athletes and officials of the delegation to take part to an international academic conference supervised by FISU and hosted by the university of the host city of the Games.

The importance of combining sport and academic events was underlined by Mr. Claude-Louis Gallien, FISU President and Chair of the Committee for the Study of University Sports (CESU) in charge of the educational activities in FISU, when he wrote: “… sport might play a major role in education; university sport must be a school for the decision makers of tomorrow”.

The main topic of the Conference is “University Sport: From Culture of the “How” to Culture of the “Why”. The Future Starts Here”. Five subthemes have also been defined:

1 – Impact of great sports events- Olympic Games and Universiades

2 – Education, Ethics and sport

3 – Healthy lifestyle promotion at university: education research and strategies for preventive and therapeutic intervention

4 – Anticipating new practices and events in university sports

5 – University Sport Industry: Development through positive exploration

The Conference of the Shenzhen Universiade will take place from August 13th to 16th at the Shenzhen University (SZU) founded in 1983. FISU is each time very pleased to integrate the universities of the host city into the preparation of the Universiade not only by welcoming on the campuses sport events but also by having a scientific conference.

The FISU conference will be the place to meet for the university sport managers during the Games, the success of the Conference is already on the way, indeed, the Organizing Committee of the Conference has received 830 abstracts form which 400 were selected.

Opening Speech of Mr Claude-Louis Gallien :

“It is a great pleasure and an honour for FISU to be once again here in China, the land were successful answers are given to the challenges of coupling modernity with rich and original traditions, and to achieve holistic technological, economical and social development.

Shenzhen is a « green » city, a young city with a young population, a city open to the world, a city facing toward the future. In fact, « The future starts here » in Shenzhen, and the 2011 FISU Summer Universiade Conference intends to be a milestone in that process.

Which future ?

The french writer André Malraux said: “The 21st century will be spiritual or will not be”.

In fact, making ethics and value systems endogenous to the decision systems is an urgent necessity for world stability, sustainability, wealth and peace.

An imperative condition for our societies to meet the expectations of future is to develop higher education projects that promote global consciousness and accountability among the students, who will be to morrow the decision makers.

The traditional university model, based on partitioning of disciplines, focusing on technology and economy and promoting unified “global cultural criteria” as universal values, with little reference to the the rich cultural diversity of humanity, has failed.

An alternative university project would be to integrate a multicultural and participatory approach in academic programs, with a continuing obligation of excellence in every way (excellence in mind and body). Combining sciences, cultures, arts and sports in university programs conveying ethical values, would promote and foster a spirit of curiosity, originality and transversality, and make the students more active by arousing their questioning.

The affirmation of Asia on the international scene, with its five thousand years of history, highlights a worldview that is not that of the « global thought », but that of the cultural diversity. The integration of Asian thought (nondual, impermanent, cyclic, morphologic) and Occidental thought (dual, permanent, linear, teleologic) can be fertile, as well as teaching the “how?” can be coordinated with teaching of the “why?”.

The 2011 FISU Summer Universiade Conference intends to be the starting point for a new educational concept linking :

– High technologies and environmental concerns,

– Economy and ethics,

– Culture of the « How » and culture of the « Why »,

– Culture of the « I » and culture of the « We »,

-Tradition and innovation,

– Competition and cooperation,

– Sport, education and health !

Shenzhen University, our host for this conference, is in the best position to play the winning cards of transdisciplinarity, ethics, culture and sport to initiate a revolution in higher education at the world level.”

Mr Zhang Xinsheng, FUSC President, FISU Vice-President and Chairman of the FISU Conference OC

Prof Zhang Bigong, Executive Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the FISU Conference, and President of the Shenzhen University

Alison Odell, CESU vice-Chair, presenting the CESU Members