FISU World Forum can be streamed for a year

19/08/2020

In Budapest, the University of Physical Education and the Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF), together with the technical support of the Digital Success Programme (DSP) organised the world forum of the International University Sports Federation with online extensions for the first time in the world.

During the live event, which was held in the Athen hall of the University of Physical Education, the online viewers had several different digital and entertaining innovations available to try out in the virtual space, such as digital chess or the FIFA 20 videogame. The participants could test their knowledge on FISU and university sports in addition to the Virtual expo opening its gates, where close to two dozen Hungarian sports equipment manufacturer and supplier were on display. The expo was available in 3D further enriching the programme with an exciting and amusing spectacle. The viewers were able to roam freely among the virtual rooms of the expo where they could discover the presentations of FISU experts and higher education sport experts; posters advertising the different courses of the University of Physical Education; innovations of sport digitalisation and the companies that work with them; several applications supporting different kind of sporting possibilities and naturally those sports federations, universities and institutions that actively participate in university sport events. The content of this platform can be streamed for a year on this link: https://fisu2020.eventcloud.hu/GH1287

Dr. Balázs Hankó, the Ministry for Innovation and Technology’s Deputy State Secretary for Higher Education said that the Hungarian Government was committed to make the highly regarded University of Physical Education, founded in 1925, a part of the Digital Sport Knowledge Centre, by innovating the institution and establishing the digital sport workshop of the Digital Success Programme. The goal was to have the University of Physical Education, which had been hosting this FISU FORUM, as the leading workshop of the higher education sport ranking in Hungary.

As a participant of a panel discussion about digital sport developments Dr. András Levente Gál, project supervisor of DSP, explained that sport was an important and decisive element and business of the entertainment industry – it is a foremost strategic sector of the Hungarian national economy as well – and the activities, operation models, and altogether the ecosystem of sport had been entirely transformed by digital technologies in recent years. On the one hand, sport has been becoming more and more prevalent in both active and passive recreational activities – discussed the project supervisor of DSP – while on the other hand, it popularises, raises attention, shapes public thinking, sets a good example for the young hence, it does not only reinforces the involvement of the new generations but it also plays an important role in strengthening children’s physical and mental state.

Dr. András Levente Gál emphasised that the Hungarian Government had been always committed to the development of sports, universities and university sports together with the utilisation of the possibilities of digitalisation. He added that the Hungarian Government was expected to accept the Alfréd Hajós Plan 3.0, based on the proposal of the Hungarian University Sport Federation, which would be publicized in international platforms as a good example.

According to the project supervisor of DSP this year’s FISU forum was an excellent platform for new Hungarian innovations to be presented in front of a big audience. Some of these distinguished projects were: sportranking, a global university sports ranking system based on the evaluation of sport services and sport facilities provided by universities; the development of an international university network made of Digital Sport Knowledge Centers; or the accumulation and presentation of the best practices regarding digital sports.

It was claimed, discovering, developing and utilising the possibilities offered by digitalisation would be indispensable in the future of sport. Sport analytics and sport informatics are getting more and more prevalent already and not only in competitive sports. These technologies can be and should be included in educational sports, recreational sports and in raising new generations. That is why the Digital Sport Workshop was founded by Digital Success Programme; its goal is to utilise digital equipment and technologies in educational sports, to develop a system and methodology for the digital support of physical education in schools and to create a physical education data storage together with the support of digital sport export and know-how transfer.

Nóra Oláh, a student of the University of Physical Education – and an intern at DSP – said, as a participant of the panel discussion, among the topics of this year’s unusual online FISU world forum the relationship and significance of digitalisation and sport had a well-deserved place. As a student she thought it important to mention that in the case of university and educational sports, the integration of such digital solutions into the education system would result in the increase of student participation in sports. She also added that young people today were very comfortable and confident in regards of any digital medium thus, it was only natural for sport and physical education to be developed by the combination of innovative digital solutions and traditional education. It was especially interesting to see how, despite being from three different generations, all participants agreed on the significance of the digital progress going through sport and university sport – explained Nóra Oláh. During the discussion they mentioned e-sport as well, highlighting that the subject of sport and digitalisation reaches a lot further than that. In conclusion all participants expressed their beliefs about digitalisation being one of the keys to competitiveness.