July 22, 2026
EUSA Forum 2026: Empowering University Sport
As the European Universities Games filled the region with competitive energy, international policymakers, academic leaders, and sports executives gathered at the University of Salerno Theatre on the Fisciano Campus for the EUSA Forum 2026.
Under the theme of “Empowering University Sport: Grassroots & Innovation,” the event quickly shifted from a simple celebration of athleticism into an action-oriented policy discussion.
A round table brought, Bruno Barracosa, EUSA 1st Vice-President and former President of the Portuguese University Sports Federation, Prof. Francesco Paolo Adorno, Rector’s Delegate for University Sports Policy and Relations with CUS at the University of Salerno, Prof. Laura Capranica, President of the European Athlete as Student (EAS) network, Philippe Housiaux, President of the European Fair Play Movement, and Leonz Eder, President of FISU, who came together for a panel discussion on strengthening the long-term impact of university sport through institutional cooperation.
The panellists discussed which policies, services, and standards should be shared across Europe and which should remain tailored to national and local contexts, while exploring how universities can immediately strengthen the compatibility of sport, study, and wellbeing through transparent institutional practices. The discussion also addressed the implementation of effective dual-career policies, emphasising equal academic opportunities for student-athletes regardless of their field of study, alongside the role of fair play, safeguarding, and ethical governance in creating supportive environments. Concluding with a broader perspective, the panel examined how responsibilities should be shared between universities, national university sports associations, EUSA, and FISU to ensure coordinated action, measurable progress, and sustainable development across the university sport movement.
Key Messages Proposed by EFPM
Speaking on behalf of the European Fair Play Movement (EFPM), Philippe Housiaux strongly emphasized the imperative need to consider not only the athlete participating in the EUSA University Games, but above all the university student who is also an athlete.
A university student participating in the University Games is far more than a competitor. Such participants represent a new generation of globally minded leaders who combine academic knowledge, athletic excellence, social responsibility, and intercultural understanding. Through their unique experiences and skills, they are exceptionally well positioned to address the major challenges facing the future of sport and to harness the power of sport as a catalyst for peace, dialogue, inclusion, and sustainable human development. Moreover, they will become tomorrow’s leaders in all areas of social and professional life.
Philippe Housiaux also advocated for the inclusion, alongside the sporting competitions, of dedicated forums and debate platforms where representatives of European universities could discuss the major issues shaping the political and sporting agenda.
Finally, to symbolically highlight the importance of the values of sport as universal values, Philippe Housiaux encouraged EUSA, together with EFPM, to establish the EUSA Fair Play University Network by inviting all European universities to sign a charter such as:
“As representatives of our university, we commit ourselves to promoting Fair Play, respect, inclusion, and integrity during the EUSA Games Salerno 2026 and beyond. We will encourage our athletes, coaches, and officials to embody these values in competition and in daily university life. We further express our willingness to support future initiatives developed by EUSA and the European Fair Play Movement aimed at fostering a culture of Fair Play across European universities.”
