Loughborough’s Athletic Union has announced today that this will be the last academic year that it is participating in BUCS.
According to BUCS’ website, ‘British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national body for Higher Education (HE) sport in the UK’ and is the biggest competition at this level in the whole of the country. BUCS is the biggest domestic sporting programme in the whole of Europe and is also ‘supported by a full international programme’. There is an unprecedented demand for high-level student sports competitions in the country, and in particular at Loughborough University, and BUCS is the platform on which this is held.
BUCS was founded in 2008 after the British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport (UCS) merged, and since 2008, Loughborough have won the BUCS Overall Championship each and every year. Records dating back to 2002 show that Loughborough have had a continuous run as reigning champions predating the BUCS era. It is the university’s participation and success in the competition that has partly defined it as the country’s best sporting university. However, with second place Durham closer behind Loughborough than ever before with only about 800 points separating them and with many sports to still compete this season, it seems that Loughborough’s last year in BUCS may be the year that the university does not win the Overall Championship.
It is fitting that during Loughborough’s last year in the competition they played host to the biggest day in the BUCS calendar, Big BUCS Wednesday, which only took place a week ago. Over 30 finals happened on the day, with Loughborough winning gold in three Championship finals and there was even a guest appearance from the Princess Royal.
We interviewed second year Geography student and runner, Joseph King, to get his opinion on the news. He said, ‘it is a great disappointment to hear that the Athletic Union has undone its membership to BUCS, especially after competing in the competition myself. The competition provided a great opportunity for many students to showcase their sporting abilities and I also think that it helped to put Loughborough on the map. I think the Union may have done itself no favours with its decision to leave and it could put off prospective students applying to the University’.
So far there is no explanation as to why the Athletic Union has made the decision to terminate their membership to BUCS. Label has contacted Steffan Lloyd, VP Sport, to comment on the matter, however he is yet to make a statement.
Emma Lawton
[polldaddy poll=8771109]Loughborough’s Athletic Union has announced today that this will be the last academic year that it is participating in BUCS.
