THE University of Technology (UTech) director of sport Anthony Davis, one of the keynote speakers at the conference of the recent World University Games, in Shenzhen, China, used the occasion to outline the strategic plans of the Old Hope Road-based tertiary institution.

According to Davis, UTech contracted coaches for longer periods which facilitated increased participation and competitive periods.

He noted that coaches were also mandated “to plan an all-year programme to engage student athletes with the aim of developing elite student athletes”.

In addition to training the athletes for a single all year, coaches recruited “high school athletes with potential”. These athletes are not necessarily outstanding at the high school championships, he pointed out.

Davis said student athletes would enter national competitions outside collegiate competitions and UTech introduced a scholarship system to “provide varying levels of financial support which cover tuition, accommodation, and books”.

The sport director cited what he referred to as the non-sporting aspect of the plan that dealt with a policy document “on how to serve student athletes better”.

Helpful to some athletes was a flexible matriculation policy where student athletes “may be accepted if deficient in a maximum of two subject areas but must satisfy matriculation requirement by the end of the first year of study”.

Other areas of assistance included the rescheduling of examinations to facilitate travel, providing academic tutors, voice and speech, grooming and sports nutrition seminars, and comprehensive medical pre-season checkups.

Davis argued, however, that university sports faced challenges of lack of funding, low visibility, unsupportive faculty and administrative staff, and unresponsive media.

“While the challenges faced maybe be formidable, they are not insurmountable and so we are confronting the challenges from two angles: one, individuals members; two, collectively through the national federation,” he explained.