UC Sports Week kicks off with cycling trip to Turin to promote sustainable mobility

The University of Coimbra (UC) has officially launched UC Sports Week, a week-long event that runs until 4 April to celebrate sports and promote a healthy lifestyle. The event began with the symbolic departure of a group of cyclists en route to Turin, Italy, as part of the European Cycling Campus & City (3Cs) project, which aims to promote sustainable mobility in universities.

The event kicked off with the symbolic departure of a group of cyclists en route to Turin, Italy, as part of the European Cycling Campus & City (3Cs) project, which aims to promote sustainable mobility in universities.

During the opening ceremony, Pedro Dias, Secretary of State for Youth and Sport, highlighted the importance of the 3Cs initiative, "a European project dedicated to sustainability, sport and, most importantly, fostering healthy lifestyles".

Ten cyclists from the UC are participating in the initiative, including researchers, students, and teaching staff, who will cycle approximately 2,500 kilometres to Turin via Madrid and Montpellier. Participants will document the journey and share maps, videos, and useful information about sustainable mobility.

UC Sports Week continues with various activities open to the academic community. The initiative kicked off with a Mega Break + Active Class [Mega Aula Pausa + Ativa] at the Pátio das Escolas, which included stretching and posture exercises. Throughout the week, conferences, workshops, round tables and sports classes will be held at the university's various campuses.

The Secretary of State also praised UC's role in combining sport and academics: "The University of Coimbra is one of the leading universities in our country and abroad and has successfully managed to integrate academic activity with the provision of sporting services to its community."

The Rector of the University of Coimbra, Amílcar Falcão, highlighted the importance of UC Sports Week, an initiative that "shows the University's ability to promote events that can contribute to sustainability, and in this case, is very much focused on sport and leisure".

Commenting on the practical impact of the 3Cs project on the university community, the Rector added: "It promotes mobility through the production of electric bicycles and I think it is a fantastic project that has allowed us to significantly expand our bicycle fleet."

The 2nd edition of UC Sports Week will conclude with the launch of a special episode of the UC Sports Talk podcast, featuring nutritionist Pedro Mendes. The episode will be available on the UC Sports YouTube channel and Spotify at 5:00 p.m. on 4 April.

The full programme is available here.