Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: student-athletes set an example for the entire UC community
Catarina Costa and Camila Rebelo are the UC students competing in the Olympic Games, while Diogo Cancela, Tomás Cordeiro and Telmo Pinão have qualified for the Paralympics.
Five student-athletes from the University of Coimbra (UC) will compete in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Catarina Costa (Judo / Faculty of Medicine) and Camila Rebelo (Swimming / Faculty of Medicine) are the two UC students participating in the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris between 26 July and 11 August. Diogo Cancela (Para Swimming / Faculty of Science and Technology), Tomás Cordeiro (Para Swimming / Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences) and Telmo Pinão (Paracycling / Faculty of Sport and Physical Education) have all qualified for the Paralympic Games, which will also be held in the French capital from 28 August to 8 September.
The Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão, acknowledged that sport is "essential, not only for the body but also for the mind" and welcomed four of the five athletes to the UC Senate Hall. He added that the Olympic and Paralympic Games are "unparalleled" in terms of "philosophy and fair play." Amílcar Falcão stated that the presence of these students at the Paris Games is "a great pride" for him and the UC.
The UC Rector argues that high-performance students are "the top of the ladder and an example to all students" in sports, "whether competitive or recreational." He offered a message of hope: "May they represent their country to the best of their ability. The whole university will be rooting for you," he assured.
The student-athletes present in the Senate Hall are part of the University of Coimbra's High-Performance Support Programme (PAAR-UC), the most visible component of the institution's efforts to promote sport, physical activity and well-being.
The main objective of PAAR-UC, which involved 34 UC students this academic year, is to promote the reconciliation of academic life and high-performance sport, offering athletes the added value of the different areas of expertise at UC to support and improve the conditions of training and preparation for competition. The measures range from academic support (in the choice of timetables and courses and the possibility of completing more courses in an extra examination season) to facilitating access to training facilities and monitoring and supervising sporting practice.
This academic year, 261 students enrolled at the UC have student-athlete status. More than five thousand people from the academic community participate in the physical and sporting activities promoted by UC Sport - Desporto UC.