VŠE and DECATHLON have signed an Agreement on Cooperation
The executive director of the French company Decathlon Herve Danilo and the Rector of the University of Economics, Prague (VŠE), prof. Ing. Hana Machková, CSc., have signed a cooperation agreement. Cooperation was also supported by the presence of the new Ambassador of the French Republic, Monsieur Charles Malinas.
The French company Decathlon operates in 30 countries around the world. This is a company that specializes in the sales of sports apparel and sporting goods. DECATHLON decided to support the sports activities of VŠE students, in particular, because for the University of Economics, Prague, physical education and sport are an integral part of university life, and have long enjoyed the support of the school management.
With the exception of Faculty of Economics, physical education is a compulsory part of the study plans of all VSE faculties (the Faculty of Finance and Accounting, the Faculty of International Relations, the Faculty of Business Administration, the Faculty of Informatics and Statistics and the Faculty of Management in Jindřichův Hradec). Sport and fitness courses, which are taught at the Centre of Physical Education and Sport (CTVS) were completed last academic year by a total of 6,441 students. Of this number, more than 2,500 have even chosen a CTVS class as an optional subject. There is a wide variety of classes on offer, and the CTVS, which has 19 full time teachers and 16 part time teachers, offers 162 timetabled classes per week. Almost all CTVS teachers are graduates of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University. Five sports classes are taught in English so that foreign students also have the opportunity to play sports at VŠE.
The VŠE has excellent facilities for the development of physical education. In 2009 its sports hall, at Třebešín, was opened. This is one of the most modern facilities for college sport in Europe. The VŠE also supports the activities of TJ Economist, which brings together 15 sport clubs and has more than 1,000 members, mostly graduates.
“Physical education and sport performs important educational and health function,” emphasised VSE Rector, Prof. Machková, at the signing of the agreement. “I believe that sport brings people together, teaches teamwork and ways to overcome obstacles. The Americans know very well why they massively support university sport and I am grateful to my predecessors, even in periods when departments of physical education at many universities were closing, because sport was seen only as a leisure activity. The VŠE bucked this trend. Today we are represented by students in the Czech Republic and abroad, and through sport the sense of belonging to the VŠE is also reinforced. I am looking forward to the hockey battle on 27th October. This match is regularly attended by more than 2,000 fans of the VŠE team. “
The Decathlon Company is the fourth French firm that has entered into a cooperation agreement with the VŠE. “As the new ambassador of France I am very pleased that DECATHLON has decided to become a partner with the VŠE, where the French-Czech Institute of Management has been operating already 26 years. DECATHLON will support not only the sports activities of VŠE students, but also part of the funds is dedicated to supporting the development of Franco-Czech relations. The collaboration of French companies with Czech universities is one of the top priorities for the French Embassy,” His excellency, the ambassador of France, Charles Malinas, stressed.
“We are delighted that we have become partners of the University of Economics, and that we can support the sports activities of students and offer them a springboard to professional experience, both in the Czech Republic and throughout the world,” said Herve Danilo, CEO, Decathlon Czech Republic .