University sport gets new national voice
BUSA and UCS merge to create British Universities & Colleges Sport, a new national organisation set up to promote the benefits of sport and physical activity in the higher education sector began business for the first time today.
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) draws together expertise and experience from two former representative bodies – British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport (UCS) – to provide a unified voice for sport, fitness and physical activity on university campuses.
BUCS will be led by its new Chief Executive, Karen Rothery, former Commercial Director at England Netball and Chair of the Board, Ed Smith, a former Senior Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Chair of WWF-UK.
Ed Smith, BUCS Chair said:
“Putting sport at the heart of the university experience is central to our success. At the 2004 Athens Olympics students took home 46% of the medals won by Team GB. We should have high hopes for this summer in Beijing, but all eyes will soon be turning to success in London in 2012. So for Government, university leadership, sports governing bodies and our students, our collective challenge is to raise the profile and quality of university sport and to showcase how sport can contribute to the UK’s economic and social aspirations."
