The Czech University Sports Association (CUSA) celebrates its 110th anniversary this year, and are still planning to serve their student-athletes and celebrate this impressive milestone despite the difficulties experienced across the globe so far this year.

A historic and well-respected association, CUSA is synonymous with university sport across Europe, and has always been well represented at both continental and international university sport competitions for several years.

CUSA reaches its landmark 110^th birthday this year, and despite restrictions being placed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there is light at the end of the tunnel as the association plans to make the most of the second half of 2020.

Cancellations of CUSA events

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in the Czech Republic has started to improve, with government restrictions becoming less strict. CUSA assumes that the university sport events (e.g. Czech university championships, university leagues and other competitions) start to be organised again from June 2020. CUSA tried to postpone most of its events to the second half of the year, nevertheless some events had to be cancelled such as the Czech University Games 2020, the biggest multisport university event in the Czech Republic, and some of the winter sports championships.

2020 FISU World University Championships

CUSA had planned to send a delegation of 260 athletes to 25 FISU World University Championships this year. Unfortunately, most of them were cancelled, though CUSA plans to send another Czech university delegation to the six World University Championships still scheduled to take place, should they not be cancelled as well.

European University Games 2020 Belgrade

CUSA would have sent a large Czech university team to the European University Games 2020 in Belgrade, Serbia, which have now been postponed until next year. The initial team of 280 participants (245 athletes, 35 officials) would have competed in 16 sports. CUSA to send a delegation of similar size to Belgrade in 2021.

CUSA General Assembly 2020

On the programme of the CUSA General Assembly 2020, which will be held in November, is electing the new leadership for the next 4-year period, 2021-2024, and CUSA is confident this will still go ahead as planned, circumstances permitting.

The New CUSA Project: Czech University Leagues

CUSA is preparing a new pilot project of University Leagues involving six popular team sports: basketball, futsal, floorball, football, volleyball and ice hockey, in cooperation with the relevant Czech sport associations. They plan to unite the organisation of the long-term regular competitions for Czech universities and Czech university sport clubs in the Czech Republic from January 2021 alongside experts and guarantors of the associations. This project is under the auspices of the National Sport Agency.

IDUS 2020

CUSA has asked Czech universities and university sport clubs to participate and organise several events as part of this year’s IDUS celebrations. As the situation is not yet stable and clear, CUSA is yet to confirm the list of events, but with the current easing of restrictions, CUSA will soon be back in contact the respective organisers. In 2019, CUSA’s main IDUS celebrations involved the organisation of organised running events for students, which were 10 km long in distance through Prague’s parks.

For more information about CUSA and their activities, please visit www.caus.cz.