Opening Ceremony officially launches FISU World University Championship Beach Sports

The FISU World University Championship Beach Sports officially got underway with the Opening Ceremony in Figueira da Foz, bringing together around 600 members of the sporting community from 31 countries across five continents to celebrate the start of a major event in international university sport.

The ceremony, held at the Centro de Artes e Espetáculos de Figueira da Foz, brought together student-athletes, coaches and official delegations in an atmosphere of celebration and unity, marking the beginning of a week of major sporting decisions on the beaches of Figueira da Foz.

The opening event was attended by several prominent institutional figures, including FADU Portugal and Organising Committee President Diogo Salgado Braz; FISU 1st Vice-President Luciano Cabral; Secretary of State for Sport Pedro Dias; Mayor of Figueira da Foz Pedro Santana Lopes; Rector of the University of Coimbra Amílcar Falcão; and President of the General Directorate of the Associação Académica de Coimbra, José Machado.

For Diogo Salgado Braz, the start of the competition represents “a milestone of great importance for university sport in Portugal and a reflection of the organisational capacity of Portugal and its higher education institutions on the international stage”, highlighting that welcoming hundreds of participants from all continents demonstrates “the vitality of our movement and the confidence that FISU places in our joint work”.

The competition now moves into full swing on the beach, with world titles up for grabs in both men’s and women’s competitions across four sports: Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Beach Handball and Beach Wrestling.

The FISU World University Championship Beach Sports is jointly organised by FADU Portugal, FISU, the University of Coimbra, the Municipality of Figueira da Foz and the Associação Académica de Coimbra, with the support of IPDJ and Turismo de Portugal.