Abridged version in English by Diana Taborda
Catarina Costa (Judo / Faculty of Medicine), Gabriel Lopes (Swimming / Faculty of Sports Science and Physical Education) and Irina Rodrigues (Athletics / Faculty of Medicine) are the three students who will compete in the Olympic Games between 23 July and 8 August. Diogo Cancela (Parathlon / Faculty of Sciences and Technology) and Telmo Pinão (Paracycling / Faculty of Sports Science and Physical Education) are the ones who will compete in the Paralympic Games, which will be held between 24 August and 5 September.
The five Tokyo 2020 participants are among the 26 athletes of the University of Coimbra's High Performance Support Programme (PAAR-UC), the most visible face of the institution's work to promote sport, physical activity and well-being. "The UC wholeheartedly supports these elite student athletes. PAAR-UC offers a range of measures, from support at school level ( choosing timetables and classes, and the possibility of completing more courses in special exam periods), to facilitating access to training facilities, as well as the control and monitoring of training at the Faculty of Sports Science," says Vice-Rector António Figueiredo.
Professor Figueiredo adds: "We have programmes that are open to the entire University community, with the aim of promoting an active and healthy lifestyle, in a logic of inclusion through sport, while seeking to demystify and facilitate access to some sports".