Published: 05.10.2020
The UNIS (University Sport) project, which brings together 21 universities from 13 cities in the Czech Republic aims at supporting athletes from among university students, and creating conditions which will make it possible for them to reconcile sport and study. The University of Pardubice is one of the universities involved in the project.
The University of Pardubice wishes to support talented athletes who study at one of its seven faculties. “A total of 9 students of the University of Pardubice have been selected for the UNIS programme on the basis of their last year’s study performance. There are five performance categories available with strictly defined inclusion criteria. They range from A to E category with the monthly support ranging from 15,000 to 5,000 respectively. The sport scholarship, however, is not automatic for the entire study period, and the student needs to meet the criteria for each season,” says Mgr. Pavla Procházková, a UNIS coordinator.
Depending on their sport perfomance, selected students, who also make high-level athletes, will be awarded special scholarship as well as receive study support. “Students may consult any sport-related issues they may have with professionals. The issues may range from nutrition, food supplements, fitness training or sports training, to floorball, basketball and tennis consultations. The athletes that have joined the project at the University of Pardubice may use the gym of the Department of Sport free of charge, as well as state-of-art gyms, anaerobic halls, outdoor and indoor sports grounds. The University even has its own boathouse at the Labe river,” says Mgr. Jan Němec, head of the Department of Sport.
University athletes are supported from the Scholarship Plan of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth. A portion of the support is allocated directly to the universities through non-investment subsidies provided by the Ministry.
The Ministry has introduced the programme on the occasion of the International Day of University Sport, together with the Ministry’s sports centre VITORIA VSC. Students must meet both formal and performance criteria to be eligible for the project and join VICTORIA VSC. The athletes are proposed by the universities and approved by the respective sports unions. Students join the programme for one year only, and then the criteria are reviewed.
