Beijng, China - “The mission of the Asian University Sports Federation (AUSF) is to promote mutual respect and understanding, as well as to develop friendship among Asian youth, by engaging them in continental sports competitions and educational activities,” said XUE Yanqing, President of the AUSF.
Established in 1992 with only 10 founding members, AUSF has grown significantly in the past decades and now has a total of 40 members. The National University Sports Federations (NUSF) in Asia, or leading universities of Asian countries and regions are eligible to apply for membership and participate in all programmes and events organised by AUSF.
2019 Asian University Cheerleading Championship in Seoul
“Thanks to the support of our member federations, the 2020 IDUS celebration became the highlight event of last year, with nine members participating in the AUSF Run Challenge,” said XUE. “Six members celebrated IDUS in their own style, with their own characteristics.”
To provide a common platform for all those connected with university sports and to help them find a sense of belonging, the AUSF Run Challenge was organised for the first time ever, as part of the International Day of University Sports (IDUS) 2020 celebration. The event attracted participation from 79 teams composed of more than 40,000 university students, faculties, as well as NUSF staff from nine AUSF member federations, including China, Hong Kong China, Macau China, Iran, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand and Chinese Taipei.
“I believe this challenge not only eased anxiety and stress of all participants but set a good example for students across Asia to participate more in physical activities, and inspired them to conquer the pandemic,” added XUE. “What’s more, this project could grow to become an official AUSF activity for IDUS celebrations in the years to come.”
AUSF President Dr. XUE Yanqing at the AUSF Run Challenge during IDUS 2020
Dr. XUE also stressed on gender equality being a priority at AUSF. “All AUSF projects target both genders,” he said. “Gender equality is emphasised not only in sports events, but has also been included as an important topic in AUSF educational activities such as workshops, seminars, strategic dialogues etc.”
“In recent years, we are delighted to see that participation numbers of female athletes are growing steadily, and also awards won by women are increasing at the same time.”
Looking back on 2020, a difficult year for the international sports community, XUE said everyone is now looking forward to a post-pandemic era with more hope.
In line with current sports trends and AUSF’s long-term strategic plan, the federation has been investing a lot of effort in nurturing and building the 3x3 Basketball Championship and AUSF Football Cup into a university sports brand across Asia.
2018 Asian University 3 on 3 Basketball Championship in Malaysia
“As a result, we are beginning to see the commercial value of these events growing,” explained XUE. “Now, Rugby 7s has just been added to this list, as a new project of FISU University World Cup continental qualifying tournaments.”
Other sports that enjoy wide popularity among university students in Asia include badminton and cheerleading, among others. The plan is to bring these sports into the main, regular AUSF sports projects.
“Next year, among all these events, the AUSF Football Cup to be held in Jinjiang, China, will be the highlight in terms of scale of participation, competition level, and popularity of the sport,” said XUE.
The AUSF President hopes that through all these active sports programmes, Asian college students will develop a healthy lifestyle, grow strong in body and mind, and empower themselves to conquer the COVID-pandemic and other challenges of the future.
2018 AUSF Football Cup