AUC Athletes to Compete in World InterUniversities Championships

A delegation of AUC athletes takes off this week to compete in the World InterUniversities Championships for the first time.

This is the third iteration of the InterUniversities Sport Committee’s athletic tournament, in which roughly 2,500 student athletes from 28 countries representing more than 70 universities compete for cash prizes. This year’s championship will take place November 16 through the 19 in Barcelona, Spain, and feature a range of sports from fustal to rugby to chess.

“This is really now putting AUC Athletics on a much larger, more international stage,” said AUC Athletics Director Louise Bertini.

AUC’s 118-member delegation, including coaches and staff members, is the only team of representatives from Egypt. AUC will compete in every event except handball, men’s volleyball, chess and women’s basketball. Most of the teams have been practicing daily in preparation for the championship, Bertini said, adding that AUC’s swimming, table tennis, tennis and rugby programs are likely to make a good showing at the competition.

Two athletes -- Yusra Ashraf and Reem Kassem -- represented Egypt in the Rio Olympics this year in table tennis and swimming, respectively.

“Of course, it’s not just about sports and competition,” Bertini said. “One of the nice things about AUC is that it gives athletes a chance to compete at the international level … this is also about making friends and experiencing other cultures.”

For more information on the championships and to see a schedule of events, click here.