The University Sports Association of SGH Warsaw School of Economics is one of the oldest academic sports clubs in Poland (we celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 December 2016!) and the largest and oldest organisation at our university.
From the AZS webpage: “The University Sports Association (AZS – Akademicki Związek Sportowy) is the biggest sports student organisation in Poland, existing since the beginning of the 20th century. The AZS as an association was established in 1909 in Kraków. From there, it spread to all academic education institutions across the country. Because of the belief in universal values, the AZS has survived all political turbulences that Poland has witnessed in the last one hundred years. That is why the history of the AZS is so great and successful. The association is nowadays the biggest student organisation in Poland. At present, the AZS has more than 42 000 members, associated in more than 250 clubs and training in about 3 000 sections. We have many supporters thanks to our universal values – such as love of sport or promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. For our members, sport is not only about muscles and medals. In the first place, it is a passion for achieving goals that may seem out of reach.”
The Academic Sports Association (AZS) of SGH Warsaw School of Economics is one of the oldest academic sports clubs in Poland (we celebrated its 100th anniversary on 7 December 2016!) and the largest and oldest organisation at our university. There are almost 30 different sports sections at AZS SGH (with new ones being launched all the time). The association has teams competing in both the most popular and less popular sports disciplines. You can hone your skills and talents in sections such as:
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cross-country running,
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duplicate bridge,
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indoor rowing,
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futsal (there are sections for both men and women),
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basketball,
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athletics,
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Alpine skiing,
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men’s football,
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handball,
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swimming,
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volleyball,
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beach volleyball,
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snowboarding,
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chess,
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table tennis,
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tennis,
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powerlifting (sections for both men and women),
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traditional rowing,
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sport climbing,
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sailing.
We also have teams competing in other disciplines – such as badminton or weightlifting.
Some of our sections have ‘taken off’ only recently, but many of them already have an impressive track record of achievements earned in provincial- and national-level competitions as well as a rich history of international appearances. In recent years, we have seen, among others, one of our female athletes take silver at the World Academic Championships in modern pentathlon. We also had the opportunity to keep our fingers crossed for our two representatives at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
A tongue-in-cheek extension of the AZS acronym is Atmosfera-Zabawa-Sport (literally: Atmosphere–Fun–Sport). And even though there is more to academic competition than the final score and performance, many of our athletes truly deserve recognition for their outstanding achievements and the effort they put into making them a reality. That is why for several years now (except the period of the pandemic) we have been holding the AZS SGH Sports Champions Gala – an event during which we award the best athletes of the past season. In addition, as representatives of SGH in academic competitions, students receive points for student activities (e.g. required for student exchange) – and the best athletes can apply for the Rector’s scholarship.
SGH’s Academic Sports Association is surely a unique organisation: instead of projects, we have competitions; instead of meetings – training sessions. The time spent together on the field, in the swimming pool, at the gym, in the stadium, in halls bear fruit not only in the form of numerous sports achievements but also friendships for life. Moreover, our AZS is one of the very few organisations that give its members the opportunity to represent our Alma Mater at regional-, national-, and international-level events. What better college memories can you have than the medals won with the AZS SGH logo on your chest? See you at the workout!
MAGDALENA BRYK, the University Sports Association of SGH Warsaw School of Economics
More information about us:
More about AZS in Poland: https://www.azs.pl/english/azs-what-is-it
