European University Sports Association (EUSA) events are for universities that qualify from their domestic university competitions and allow the top universities in British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) competitions to compete against the best universities in Europe. BUCS are the EUSA member for the UK and is responsible for sanctioning UK entrants to EUSA events.
Entries to EUSA events are made as a specific university, and all entrants will represent their university in EUSA competition, as opposed to BUCS or ’Great Britain’.
EUSA events take place each year and alternate annually between the EUSA Games (a multi-sport event, even-years) and the EUSA Championships (a series of single-sport events, odd-years).
European University Games Qualification Criteria 2022
On the announcement of the postponement of EUG2020 (rescheduled to 2021), BUCS took the opportunity to remove all the entered teams, receiving a full refund for entries which was passed back to the relevant institutions. As a result, there are no current entries for the Games.
The BUCS National Competitions Group considered the best approach for qualification and recommended the following to the Executive.
Sports with a BUCS League and Knockout programme
The opportunity should be extended to the top eight finishers in the BUCS 2021-22 season with the top four performing teams registering interest selected for entry. This approach aims to balance the desire to provide the opportunity for our best teams with the reality that in the coming year institutions may not be able to commit to international competition.
It was noted that the confirmed format of the programme is yet to be confirmed and the Group made recommendations for the likely outcomes:
- League and Knockout Competition – Championships QF teams all offered with Championship performance determining final entries.
- League Only – Top four teams in Premier North and South offered an opportunity with league finishing position determining final entries.
- No Competition – finishing positions from 2020-21 season to be used with top eight teams offered opportunity and Championship performance determining final entries.
Sports with an Events only programme
Existing qualification criteria as outlined below should be used against 2021-22 events to identify qualifiers.
Where an event is not delivered then the relevant SAG+/EMG should be requested to produce appropriate criteria against which to offer entries.
General Qualification
BUCS shall normally sanction as eligible to enter EUSA Games/ Championships the following:
1. Top four finishers in the relevant BUCS Championship, to be determined by the BUCS office, in the same competition year, subject to the following restrictions:
- Where four or less competitors compete in BUCS, only the Champions will qualify
- Where eight or less competitors compete in BUCS, only the Gold and Silver medallists will qualify.
EUSA events are normally a team format, and for (e.g.,) badminton, table tennis, tennis and golf, qualification for the EUSA event will be via the BUCS team event rather than the BUCS individual event in that sport.
Please note that for rowing, judo and karate, and other individual sports on the EUSA programme, qualification will be for each individual category and the overall entry will be a composite team.
2. Additionally, current EUSA Champions from the UK will be eligible to enter by right the following EUSA event.
3. In sports in which BUCS does not hold a domestic Championship, BUCS will sanction upon request by the relevant Great Britain NGB (or Home Country NGBs collectively), entrants from an NGB recognised student competition in line with the qualification model above.
4. Where an individual qualifies for a specific category (e.g., in rowing, judo, karate or other individual sports), that individual will not be able to compete in a different or second category at the EUSA event unless they also qualified for that category.
5. Please note that EUSA events are qualified for and not selected – hence, there is no discretion within an entry for illness, injury, form, unfavourable draws, national squad members who were competing elsewhere, individuals that missed the qualifiers with mitigating circumstances, or other subjective factors.
Sport Specific Qualification
Due to the relative event formats of the BUCS Championships and EUSA Games / Championships, please note the following sport-specific qualification:
6. Golf qualification will be based on Team strokeplay standings generated by BUCS from Individual results.
7. The top two from each of the BUCS men’s and women’s team Badminton Championships will qualify (separately) to the EUSA mixed-gender event. Please note that a men’s team qualifying from BUCS will require female team members to meet EUSA entry regulations, and vice versa.
8. Some EUSA competitions have restricted possible entrants (e.g., an eight-team or 12-team competition). Therefore, it is possible that only the highest qualifying entry application from each nation will be successfully accepted by EUSA.
Funding
BUCS does not allocate any direct funding towards university teams at EUSA events, and the full cost is to be paid by the competing institution. This will include travel, the participation fee (per person per day), the entry fee, provision of referees (where required), and all other associated costs.
Each participating institution is responsible for making appropriate provisions for their own insurance to cover the event.
Administration
An exercise will take place ahead of the EUSA entry deadlines to establish with the projected top four finishers in each BUCS sport their intent to enter EUSA in the event of qualification. Where interest and commitment are firmly established, BUCS will commit on our member's behalf to an un-named general entry from the UK, to be confirmed with the qualifiers post-qualification.
Each entered institution will be responsible for their own entry and meeting the requirements of the EUSA regulations – including travel, support staff, physiotherapy, insurance, event expenses, playing kit and all other associated costs. Each entered institution will be responsible for completing/submitting by the due date any quantitative, nominative, and individual entries, athlete eligibility details, participation payments and other information relating to their entry as required by EUSA and the Local Organising Committee.
Please note that in a multi-sport Games year, and if there is a critical mass of UK entrants, BUCS will undertake a central briefing/support/communication/ representation role for the institutions competing, as a requirement of the Local Organising Committee and EUSA, and to assist the UK entered institution (who will retain all responsibilities to fund and administrate their own participation). Specific details will be available for each Games.
Entrants must designate to BUCS an institution staff member as lead contact, and proposals for support staff to composite entries must additionally be sanctioned by the relevant NGB. Alternatively, NGBs may propose and sanction support staff in the case of a composite entry
