PA 120/09
Sport at The University of Nottingham is about dedication, commitment, open-access and team spirit - not geography. So whether students are playing basketball on the courts at Ningbo, swimming in the Semenyih pool, or playing squash at one of the three University Sports Centres in the UK, they’re all part of Team Nottingham.
Now athletes from across all campuses will meet this summer to compete in the first University of Nottingham Tri-Campus Games.
Students from the UK, Malaysia and China campuses will compete in 16 events including basketball, squash, badminton and futsal - the FIFA-approved form of five-a-side football for which Nottingham is an FA Focus University. The founding Games will be hosted on University Park with the possibility of future events in China and Malaysia.
The Games will run from June 20-27, with more than 180 competitors taking part. All teams will stay at Derby Hall of Residence on University Park, giving our international visitors the chance to experience the traditional aspects of life at one of the Nottingham campuses, as well as experiencing a multi-sport ‘Athletes Village’ environment.
The level of competition is expected to be of the highest standard, with most athletes taking part in local campus-wide competitions to win places on their ‘national’ teams. The event is expected to feature athletes from over 20 countries, with UK-based competitors including world-ranked squash player Kira Petersen, and English Universities’ football star Scott McCubbin. Danish-born Kira will actually be returning from an academic year-abroad in France to compete, further underlining the multi-national nature of the Games, the University and the opportunities for students who study at Nottingham.
Competitive specialist sports events will take place on the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of the Games, each day concluding with the national teams coming together to take part in non-specialist events including rowing, cycling and swimming relays and tug-of-war. Wednesday will be a rest day, allowing the students to explore the region. Friday will see a day of mixed-team competitions, where competitors from all three campuses will join together to form a variety of mixed-nationality teams in 10 different sporting events.
“This event is about promoting sporting and cultural exchange across our three international campuses,” said Nigel Mayglothling, Assistant Director of Physical Recreation and Sport.
“International students already contribute a huge amount to sport at the University, and our UK volleyball team is made up entirely of players from a number of other European countries. The Tri-Campus Games provides a unique opportunity to reinforce these bonds and will give our students the chance to compete at ‘international’ level within a single university.”
Professor Christine Ennew, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation, summed up the powerful message of the Games: "The international character of The University of Nottingham is something of which we are justifiably proud and the Tri-Campus Games exemplifies our vision of one University, three international campuses and an a genuinely international student body."
The Opening Ceremony will be held early on the evening of Sunday June 20, with a prize-giving ceremony on Friday June 26 marking the conclusion of the Founding Games.
For more information on the games and competition timetables, visit www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/tricampus.php