Bollywood dance and badminton for sporty students

About 200 new international students sign up for university sports each semester. But there is room for more, says head of university gym club

by Simone Bogner

International students in Copenhagen can participate in sports programmes ranging from Bollywood dancing to rock climbing. But all this physical activity is not just about hard training and competition, it is also a great way to get closer to Danish students and their culture.

This is according to Ebbe Rasmussen, the manager of the USG sports club, who encourages more internationals to take part.

USG stands for ‘University Students Gymnastic’, and is a sports club that was founded in 1918. Currently 6500 members, Ebbe Rasmussen estimates that 200 international students join the club each semester.

Whether you are beginner or advanced, prefer the exotic, the extreme or just a plain game of handball – USG provides something for everybody.

»We organize a lot of indoor and outdoor events all year long. I just have had some nice and adventurous days with one of my ski courses. Every year we travel to Monte-Rosa ski resort in Italy to go off-piste,« Ebbe explains gleefully.

Everybody can participate

He points to two other events coming up this semester:

»Saturday 24 April there will be a show where interested students, families and participants are welcome to enjoy performances from the different kinds of sports.«

The second event is a handball tournament, he says.

»Every year on the last weekend of August we organize a handball competition for which we invite students from all over Europe. Basically everybody can form a team and enjoy the international experience!«

Discount for international students

Most of USG’s activities run simultaneously with the school year: starting in the beginning of September and normally ending on 30 April.

But in addition, the club offers activities in the period from May until June and in August. The USG team will present the summer programme in the end of March.

»International students get a discount from the participation fee that everybody has to pay. They just have to prove that they do not stay the whole period from September until April,« Ebbe Rasmussen says.

Check out the USG sports club programme in English here.

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk

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