Wednesday 9th February 2022

After two years of waiting we were able to host the Scottish Student games once again on the first weekend of February.

What a weekend that was! After two years of waiting we were able to host the Scottish Student games once again on the first weekend of February.  Although the format was slightly different, we in the SSS office felt it brilliantly showcased the magic that is Student Sport.

We were absolutely delighted to see so many smiling faces involved in all four sports and the atmosphere really was electric! The event was made possible by the support from our amazing volunteers, judges, officials, partner institutions and of course, our participants, who showed off some incredible talent and sportsmanship despite dealing with all of the challenges a post-COVID event brings.

Without further ado let’s break down some of the action from across the weekend!


We saw fierce competition from across the field that culminated in two thrilling Men’s and Women’s Individual Finals. We had a total of forty five competitors representing seven institutions across Scotland all competing to be crowned Scottish Student Table Tennis Champions.

Mae Ng (University of Edinburgh) went unbeaten throughout the day in both Women’s Singles and Doubles. She first won the doubles alongside fellow Edinburgh teammate, Faye Leggett, against a tough Glasgow duo of Ailsa Khalid and Siqi Li before playing the very same doubles teammate an hour later in a tense singles final, winning  3-2.

Similarly, on the Men’s side, Chongzhi Wang (University of Edinburgh) also kept a spotless record, remaining unbeaten throughout the day. He paired up with John Hannah ( University of Dundee) to win the Men’s Doubles, before playing his former teammate in a tight Singles Semi-Final. Great play was seen from both players, with Chongzhi Wang taking the gold in  a 3-1 win

Overall, the University of Edinburgh dominated the medals table with 38% of all medals available, with the University of Glasgow coming in second with 29% of the share. Full results can be found HERE.

We’d love to extend a huge thanks to the University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh University Sports Union for hosting us, as well as a massive thank you to the volunteers who helped make the event possible. Without your time and dedication the Table Tennis event couldn’t have operated as successfully as it did!

You can check out the photos in our Facebook album HERE


The Trampoline Championships was a roaring success, with 109 nine students representing 9 institutions from across Scotland. 74 Women and 35 Men took to trampolines across a variety of categories including; DMT, Individual and Syncro – it was certainly an event to be remembered!

A highlight from the day was Murray Findlay (University of St Andrews), who competed in the Pro-Elite Men category, completing an incredible routine with a difficulty of 12.5! Another athlete, Sophie Thomas (University of Glasgow), also had a standout performance. Sophie competed in the Elite Women’s category and caught the attention of competitors and judges by scoring 32.0 for her second routine, with one of the highest execution scores of the day.

Check out the full results HERE!

Everyone at SSS would like to extend a huge thank you to the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Sports Union, the judges, and volunteers who made this event possible! We’d also love to extend a thanks to the participants for creating such a lively atmosphere and offering up some excellent competition.

View the pictures from the event HERE.


Swimmers from Stirling, Strathclyde, St Andrews and Dundee competed for podium placings in the fantastic venue of University of Strathclyde, under the expert eyes of Scottish Swimming officials.

All 46 swimmers swam brilliantly, enjoying the return of the competition after 2 years. One of the top highlights from the day came from Albertus Andika Bangun (University of Stirling & Indonesian National Team swimmer) who won the 50m and 100m butterfly events by large margins -a whopping 2.5 and 4.3 seconds, respectively!

Another highlight from Saturday was University of Stirling’s swimmer Zoe MacDonald who achieved 4 individual gold medals! Zoe swam to victory in the 100m fly, 100m IM, 50m fly & 100m breast. What a performance!

The competition for the Trophy awarded to the Best Overall Institution was incredibly close between the University of Stirling and the University of St Andrews – just 4 points in it! Congratulations to the University of Stirling who took the crown with 185. Full results can be found HERE.

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the University of Strathclyde, Strathclyde Swimming and the Scottish Swimming Officials, as well as the volunteers and participants who made the event a reality!

You can check out the photos from the event in our Facebook album HERE


A sport severely impacted by COVID-19 made a brilliant comeback at the University of Strathclyde on 5th February, with 74 competitors and 6 teams attending the competition. The Training Day on Sunday 6th February was also a massive hit with  25 attendees learning from the significant experience of Ramsay Thomson (6th Dan).

Students from Glasgow, Edinburgh, St Andrew’s, Stirling, Napier, Queen Margaret, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow Caledonian and Dundee universities competed alongside  Fife, Edinburgh and Glasgow Clyde College students in the Championships. Congratulations to the University of Edinburgh who took gold in both the Men’s and Women’s Team competitions. Full results can be found HERE.

We’d like to extend a massive thank you to the University of Strathclyde, the officials and volunteers who made the event possible, without your contribution we wouldn’t have been able to achieve anywhere near the level of success that we did! We’d also love to thank the competitors for their excellent sportsmanship and respect for each other and the officials.

You can check out the photos in our Facebook album HERE

 

Please also take the time to tell us how you found the event by filling out our Feedback Survey! It only takes a few minutes and helps the events improve year on year.

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Monday 7th February 2022

To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, we are shining a light on student clubs that would like to share their work.

12 club members gathered in a semi circle

Ryan from Glasgow Caledonian University Fencing Club, got in touch with our Inclusion & Culture Coordinator Eilidh to highlight the work the club is doing to ensure their current and future LGBTQ+ members know they are welcome.

Hello Ryan, thank you for reaching out to SSS. How has the return to fencing been for the club?

Navigating the intricacies of compliance and trying to ensure the safety of our members has taken a serious amount of thought and effort on our part. That’s being said, we are super happy that we could get back into the swing of things and easily worked off the lockdown rust we had built up. Our members came back with amazing enthusiasm for the sport and we have picked up some new members who’ve shown that same love and appreciation for fencing. We are ready to put the last few years behind us and build up our club to new highs.

Can you tell us what steps the club is taking to make fencing more welcoming to and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ students?

We try to make our sport more inclusive and welcoming to all students by being champions of inclusion in fencing. We always take the opportunity to engage with relevant campaigns and create a supportive community in the club where all individuals are welcome and members are actively trying to promote equality in everything we do.

Why do you think it is important to celebrate awareness dates such as LGBTQ+ History Month?

It is important to pause for recognition of the unique challenges faced by those in the LGBTIQ+ community and for all of us to play our part in supporting and championing LGBTIQ+ causes.

“We are ready to put the last few years behind us and build up our club to new highs”

What would you like to say to an LGBTQ+ student who would like to join your club but is worried about how they may be received?

Come along! We do our absolute best to accommodate everyone and we provide an inviting and non-judgemental environment. If you do have any concerns feel free to contact our committee, we will do our best to answer any concerns or tackle any issues you might have before you come along on the day.

Thank you to EUBC for sharing their development journey with us and we look forward to sharing other stories over LGBTQ+ History Month.

 

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Tuesday 1st February 2022

To celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month, we are shining a spotlight on student clubs that would like to share their work.

Rebecca, from the University of Edinburgh’s Badminton Club, reached out to our Inclusion & Culture Coordinator Eilidh, to highlight the work EUBC is doing to ensure current and future LGBTQ+ members know they are welcome.

 

Hello Rebecca, thank you for reaching out to SSS. How has the start of the semester been for the club?

Hi there, the semester has started off really well! We’ve just reached a milestone of 300 members – I believe our highest number to date – and we’ve seen the restart of ‘Lothian League’ after a long covid-hiatus which means more match opportunities for our team players. Lots ahead!

Can you tell us what steps the club is taking to make badminton more welcoming to and inclusive of LGBTIQ+ students?

EUBC is trying to make it clear that ALL athletes are welcome in the badminton community and we have a zero-tolerance policy in our club for members who discriminate. We do our utmost to facilitate members joining the competitive team which best reflects their gender identity. We ensure there is no ‘policing’ – people aren’t asked if they are in the ‘right’ group, or if they are using the ‘right’ changing rooms/toilets at our sessions.

AT EUBC, we’ve recently changed the language we use when describing teams. Now, instead of “men” or “women”, we use the terms “men’s team players” and “women’s team players”. This small change will hopefully make our sessions more inclusive. We encourage our members to introduce themselves with their pronouns and to call people by their names until they know what to use. Our current goal is to develop our stance in regard to players who may not conform to the gender division of competitive play. We’ve engaged in communication with the institutions who organise these matches, such as BUCS, to see what we can achieve together. 

“You are absolutely welcome regardless of your sexual or gender identity and you’ll see members wearing rainbow shoelaces for support.”

Why do you think it is important to celebrate awareness dates such as LGBTQ+ History Month?

It’s absolutely paramount to celebrate these dates as a sports community because it acts as a strong statement of our values. It’s an opportunity to remind queer people that they are welcome, celebrated, and to combat heterosexist normality and internal prejudices.

 

What would you say to an LGBTIQ+ student who would like to join your club but is worried about how they may be received?

We’re one of the largest badminton clubs in the country and there’s a community of our members who are also LGBTIQ+. We look after each other and would love to have you! If you have any worries, we have an active and friendly committee that would help you settle in and make friends!

“As a queer member of EUBC, I’ve always felt accepted at club sessions, socials, training, and as a team captain. You are absolutely welcome regardless of your sexual or gender identity and you’ll see members wearing rainbow shoelaces for support. On top of that, the recent steps towards increasing inclusion of trans and non-binary people are a great example of EUBC’s development and make me feel seen and respected.” – Barbara, 2nds team captain.

I’ve found the badminton club a very queer-friendly group and have never heard of any contrary experiences. Plus, there is a great representation of LGBT+ in our leadership which helps us protect and promote these issues!” – Yiling, Vice-President.

Thank you to EUBC for sharing their development journey with us and we look forward to sharing other stories over LGBTQ+ History Month.

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Friday 19th November 2021

Scottish Student Sport is delighted to welcome Kevin Harper as the new Equality Steering Group Chair.

We are delighted to announce Kevin Harper as the new Chair for the SSS Equality Steering Group.

Kevin was a professional footballer from 1992 to 2009. The former Hibernian FC striker was the first black player to play for the Hibs, before going on to have a successful career with several English clubs including Premier League sides Portsmouth, Derby and Stoke. Kevin is also the founder of the Kevin Harper Football School of Excellence and is a passionate diversity and inclusion advocate.

As Chair, Kevin will provide support and future direction for the group, and be an advocate of equality and diversity within student sport to the wider network.

Speaking to Scottish Student Sport, Kevin said: “I am absolutely delighted to be the Scottish Student Sport’s new Equality Chair. I have been championing equality within Scottish sport and society for over 25 years and I will do my utmost in the role to make student sport in Scotland, open to all.”

Speaking on the appointment of Kevin, SSS Chief Operating Officer, Stew Fowlie, said: “I am delighted to welcome Kevin to a position of such vital importance to the SSS team. Kevin has a well-informed passion for equality and diversity, and as someone who has faced barriers throughout his own life and career, I know he will provide leadership and inspiration both to our Equality Steering Group and the wider network. I am excited to work alongside Kevin to achieve the cultural and systemic progress required to make sure that sport and active health are truly at the heart of the student experience for all.”

SSS Development Coordinator Eilidh Paterson added: “I am very excited to work alongside Kevin and continue to achieve the outcomes in the current Equality Action Plan and have his experience to assist SSS to look to the future as to what we should be achieving long term.”

The SSS Equality Steering Group

The Scottish Student Sport’s Equality Steering Group was created in 2018 to advise and prompt the staff, committees, and networks of SSS on all relevant aspects of equality and inclusion, with particular emphasis on ensuring adherence to a rolling Equality Action Plan for the organisation.

Kevin joins the group as Chair as they reach mid-way through their annual Equality action plan which will continue to steer the work of the current group (see below): 

  • Emmanuel Akerele – Ethnicity Lead & Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisor, Robert Gordon University
  • Georgia Moran – Women’s Lead & East Regional Development Officer, RYA Scotland
  • Laura Pilkington – Disability Lead, Scottish Para-Swimmer & student at Edinburgh Napier University
  • Carolina Sousa e Sá – LGBTQ+ Lead & Project Officer Communities, LEAP Sports Scotland
  • Keith Macleod – Institute of Sport & Exercise, University of Dundee
  • Fraser Reynolds – Edinburgh Napier Student Association
  • Jenny Beedie – University of Glasgow Sport Union
  • Ian Lowe – Head of Development, SSS
  • Eilidh Paterson – Development Coordinator, SSS

Scottish Student Sport would also like to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing Equality Steering Group Chair and Dr. Robin MacPherson Award winner Barabara Lawson for her expertise and dedication to this work over the last three years.

If you would like to discuss your or SSS’ equality and culture work in more detail, please contact Development Coordinator Eilidh.

 

 

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Thursday 27th February 2020

Fife College and Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA) have reached a significant milestone level of the Scottish Student Sport’s College Sport Award. Read the full story here!

Fife College and Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA) have reached a significant milestone level of the Scottish Student Sport’s College Sport Award.

The Scottish Student Sport’s College Sport Award is a self-improvement framework which supports Universities and Colleges to provide physical activity and sport opportunities to their students, staff and communities. Last year both Fife College and the Fife College Atudents’ Association (FCSA) signed up for the College Sport Award – confirming the College’s commitment to sport.

The achievement of the ‘training towards’ level entitles the College to a £500 reward to buy sporting equipment. The College has used the fund to buy both badminton and boccia, a precision ball sport, equipment with the hope to increase sport involvement and inclusivity at the college.

The College Sport Award is a key project of Scottish Student Sport and is part of our drive to build a world class system for physical activity and student sport. The Award is supported by the Scottish Funding Council, and is endorsed by sportscotland and the College Development Network.

“We are delighted to have reached this milestone of the College Sport Award. The programme is helping us as we work to provide many new physical activity and sport opportunities for students and staff across the college.”

Fife College are now working towards achieving the Bronze level of the award scheme which comes with a further monetary award for more sport equipment.

Craig Walker, FCSA Manager, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone of the College Sport Award. The programme is helping us as we work to provide many new physical activity and sport opportunities for students and staff across the college.

“This achievement is very much down to the brilliant work of our Sports, Societies, and Events Coordinator, Kirsten Mullen, who has played a key role in driving forward our new sports club programme since she joined the FCSA team last September.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Scottish Student Sport as we work towards the next level of the award.”

Scottish Student Sport’s Chief Operating Officer, Stew Fowlie said:

“It is wonderful to note Fife College’s progress within the SSS College Sport Award, demonstrating a genuine commitment to sport and physical activity at the College. The Student Association has shown great ambition and drive to make activity part of everyday college life, and this has been met with strong leadership and support from the College senior management.

“It is a pleasure to celebrate this milestone with them today and be able to make the gift of sports equipment for use by all in the College community. Well done to all at FCSA & Fife College – and here’s to your continued progress through the SSS College Sport Award.”

Photo: (left to right, back row) Jade Burnett (FCSA President), Hugh Hall (Fife College Principal), Stew Fowlie (Chief Operating Officer at SSS), (left to right, front row) Gloria Laurini (FCSA Student Engagement Coordinator), Kirsten Mullen (FCSA Sports, Societies and Events Coordinator) and Eilidh Paterson (Tayside, Fife & Grampian Regional Development Coordinator at SSS).

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Friday 7th February 2020

With over 600 students competing across FIVE different sports, it is safe to say this years Scottish Student Games was bigger and better than ever. Read the full recap including highlights and photos here!

With over 600 students competing across FIVE different sports, it is safe to say this years Scottish Student Games was bigger and better than ever. Students from across the length and breath of Britain travelled to the City of Edinburgh for what was a bumper weekend of activity in the capital. Here is a snapshot of our highlights from the weekend.

Scottish Student Trampoline Open – Sport and Exercise, Pleasance 

Scottish Student Games Reaches New Heights 📸Calum McGee

In fitting style the Scottish Student Games started and finished with the headline act. Flips, falls, a whole lot of bouncing and bananas – thank you Fyffes for sponsoring the event – is an accurate description of the Scottish Student Trampoline Open. This year saw over 550 students from 30 institutions competing in various disciplines. Friday allowed for the athletes to get settled, test the trampolines and have an early (ish) night prior to a big two days of competition.

There was excellent talent on show throughout the weekend with Scottish Students securing gold medals in 12 out of the 19 categories. Notable performances included that of Murray Findlay (University of St Andrews), who retained his Pro-Elite Mens title from last year. Ciara Donlevy (Robert Gordon University) also managed to keep a hold of her crown coming out on top in the Pro-Elite Women’s category for the second year in a row. A full list of results can be found here! 

Huge thanks to Edinburgh University Trampoline Club for hosting the competition alongside Edinburgh University Sport & Exercise staff at the Pleasance. Special mentions go to St Andrews and Dundee University Trampoline Clubs for sharing their equipment for the competition and of course, Wayne the Paramedic from COAST First Aid and Medical who kept everyone safe in what was an action packed few days of competition.

📸 You can find the trampolining pictures from the weekend here!

Scottish Student Climbing Championships – Eden Rock

To Eden Rock next, where the Scottish Student Climbing Championships joined forces with the Eden Rock Winter Series for what proved to be a thoroughly competitive day of competition.

Right foot first at the climbing championships 📸 Molly Johnston

In the Men’s event, Stephen Keir (University of Dundee) took top spot, holding off Angus Davidson of University of Aberdeen and last years winner Fraser Moodie (University of Strathclyde). Fraser’s sister Sophie Moodie (University of Glasgow) was also in action in the Women’s event finishing with a bronze medal behind, Pippa Watkin (University of Strathclyde) and Ajda Remskar (University of Edinburgh) who took silver and gold respectively. There was an incredibly high standard of climbing across the day with seven of the competitors in the student competitions going on to make the Eden Rock Winter Series Finals – a fine example of the calibre of performance on show.

Huge thanks to Eden Rock for hosting and also to Mountaineering Scotland & Climb Scotland for their support at the event. Congratulations to everyone who took part and special mention to Stuart Younie of Mountaineering Scotland for popping down on the day.

📸 Check out the photos from the event here.

Scottish Student Fencing Beginners Open – ENgage Fitness, Edinburgh Napier University  

After last years success the Fencing Beginners Open Championship returned to Edinburgh Napier University. The Open saw beginner fencers competing in three different categories; Sabre, Epee and Foil. Aimed at fencers who have less than two years experience behind them, this event provides the perfect opportunity for students to build their competition experience, confidence and meet new people. It was great to see a mixture of beginners from last years competition and first-time-fencers from across the country competing in two full days of competition.

Action from Day 2 of the Fencing Beginners Championships 📸 Calum McGee

Saturday saw competition in the Men’s Foil, Women’s Epee and Women’s Sabre. Heriot-Watt University were in and amongst the medals in the Men’s Foil with Ben Huysamer getting the gold and Bruce McCaig picked up a bronze medal – sandwiched in between them on the podium was Fraser Kenny (Glasgow Caledonian University) who took the silver. In the Women’s Epee it was Strathclyde’s turn to paint the podium maroon with Carolyn Schwab, Lisa Petry and Zsoka Rati taking gold, silver and bronze respectively (Erin Gandia – University of Dundee – shared the bronze medal).  In the Women’s Sabre, Carolyn, Erin and Zsoka were in the medals again – taking a silver and shared bronze respectively. But they came up second best and were beaten by Ella Willsmore of the University of Aberdeen, who upgraded her 2019 bronze medal to a gold one!

Men’s Epee and Men’s Sabre were on the menu on Sunday. Having won a silver medal in the same competition last year – Dominic Lee (University of Dundee) had a point to prove in the Men’s Sabre. Dominic showed hard work pays off and was rewarded with a gold medal this year beating Dimitrios Kotrotsis (University of Strathclyde) in the final. Juan Chaves (Heriot-Watt University) and Keir Hardy (University of Edinburgh) took bronze. In the Epee, Keir Hardy took another bronze with Charles Burn (University of Glasgow). Alex Strauss-Jones (University of Edinburgh) updated his 2019 bronze to silver, but was beaten by Tomas Iken from the University of Aberdeen in the final.

Overall, it was a fantastic couple of days of competition, played in an encouraging and competitive atmosphere – giving the athletes some great preparation ahead of the Scottish Student Individual Championships next month. 

📸Check out the photos from day 1 and day 2.

Scottish Student Table Tennis Championships – St Leonard’s Land

St Leonard’s welcomed 37 competitors from 9 different institutions on Saturday for a jam-packed day of Scottish Student Table Tennis. In the Women’s singles Xinxin Huo (University of Glasgow) took gold ahead of University of Edinburgh students Mae Ng and Hailey Soo who finished second and third respectively.

Eye on the ball 📸 Calum McGee

In the Men’s event, with last years champion and Commonwealth Games Athlete Colin Dalgleish recently graduating the playing field was wide open. But it was last years runner up Johannes Lautes (University of Edinburgh) who stepped up to take the gold beating his doubles partner John Hannah (University of Dundee) in the final. The match of day took place in the Double Championship Final where Xinxin Huo and Ren Bingchong (University of Glasgow) pushed the top two seeds Johannes and John to the limits but had to ultimately settle for silver.

Huge thanks to to Richard Yule and the Table Tennis Scotland team for coming to watch some of the action on Saturday afternoon, Tianyi Zhang for taking photos throughout the day, Christina Liu for inputting the scores for matches and last but not least the Edinburgh University Table Tennis Club committee.

📸 Photos from the Table Tennis Championships are online here!

Judo Individual Championships – Craigmount High School

Our wonderful team of Judo officials and volunteers

Craigmount High School played host to the Judo Championships which was organised and overseen by Scottish Student Chair Paul Grady, Judo Scotland Officials and our wonderful volunteers from the Judo community. The Judo Championships was a debut entry into the Scottish Student Games and saw students attending from thirteen institutions – including two new entries; New College Lanarkshire and Edinburgh College.

During warm up, the Judo mats were packed of students of varying ability and experience preparing for the competition before weighing in at the desk. As the Judo community is such a close one,  there is a great amount of support available to the students and volunteers on the day which made for a friendly and warm environment.

Once the individual and team competition was over, it was time for the medals to be presented. Thank you to Judo Scotland’s Head of Business Delivery, Tony Penfold and Edinburgh Bushido Judo Club Head Coach and 5th Dan, Andy Malcolm for presenting the medals to the winning students.

📸 Click here for the full result and photos!

Finally a huge thanks to all our volunteers, judges, officials, venue staff and all the competitors who turned out to make this the biggest student games on record. Final shout out goes to our fabulous sports chairs and their committees for pulling together a sensational show of sport – Joshua Watters (Trampoline), Yubo Rasmussen (Table Tennis),  Paul Grady (Judo), Antony Shek (Fencing) and Morna Baillie & Emily Eadie (Climbing) – you all did a wonderful job.

A fantastic start to the year and a great benchmark for what is to come in the world of student sport in 2020 and beyond.

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Thursday 30th January 2020

Scottish Student Sport, along with partners ASH Scotland, NUS Scotland and SAMH, are delighted to launch Healthy Body Healthy Mind 2020. Read more about the new look criteria and award!

Scottish Student Sport, along with partners ASH Scotland, NUS Scotland and SAMH, are delighted to launch Healthy Body Healthy Mind 2020.

Healthy Body Healthy Mind supports colleges and universities in improving student and staff well-being and inspires positive changes on campus. In receiving an Award, institutions demonstrate how they are encouraging sport and physical activity, a smoke-free culture and good mental health.

We believe that young people should be able to arrive into learning environments that support physical and mental well-being. We aim to help create a health promoting culture across campus with the emphasis on positive action and preventing ill-health. This is central to the institution’s duty of care towards all students and staff and supports wider goals such as improving attainment and student retention.

Following an external review of the award last year, we have made some positive changes to the criteria and submission process that we hope will be welcomed and provide an environment to achieve more together. Through offering more support to institutions, as well as ongoing feedback on evidence submissions, the partners are committed to supporting the institutions achieve their goals.

What to expect;
  • Dedicated support from the SSS Project Officer.
  • Initial meeting with SSS staff to establish baseline data and set project goals
  • Access to ASH Scotland staff to support your plans for positively impacting the aim of a Tobacco Free generation by 2034 as well as access to ASH Scotland online training.
  • Support through SAMH as part of Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport, to explore and build your ideas on how to ensure mental health is being addressed through your activities. This will give you access to online training and resources.
How to Sign Up

It couldn’t be easier to sign up to Healthy Body Healthy Mind! Just complete the online form to confirm your interest and then we will be in touch with you on how to take your next steps.

🔗 Complete the online form NOW!

In the meantime, should you have any queries then please do not hesitate to get in touch with SSS Project Officer, Sarah Gandon via sarah@scottishstudentsport.com or on 07779 117120.

Documentation

Here you can find the all important docs and files for this years Healthy Body Healthy Mind.

📝 Healthy Body Healthy Mind Criteria 

📝 HBHM Additional Information 

📝 Mental Health Additional Information

📝 Physical Activity and Sport Additional Information 

📝 Smoking Prevention Additional Information 

📝 HBHM Process Map 2020

 

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Thursday 30th January 2020

Scottish Student Sport are delighted to announce Queen Margaret University as the host for the SSS Conference 2020. Read the full story here!

Scottish Student Sport is delighted to announce that Conference 2020 will be hosted by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh. This is the first time the event will be hosted by QMU, and as a modern and ambitious institution they are excited about the opportunity to welcome the SSS tribe.

QMU is located at the purpose-built site in Musselburgh – just a 6 minute-train from the centre of Edinburgh – and sustainability is ingrained in campus life. SSS is ambitious about delivering the most sustainable conference to date.

Conference 2020 is the culmination of the student sport year and provides a fantastic opportunity for the network to come together to learn and celebrate. The event will include a host of inspirational guest speakers and innovative workshops, as well as opportunities to be active. The climax of the 2-day event will be the Scottish Student Sport Awards Dinner, celebrating the biggest and best achievements and contributions of the sporting year.

Andy White, Student Vice President at QMU, said:

“We’re delighted to be able to open our doors to the SSS tribe in June and share with them a couple of days of inspirational activity.”

“Queen Margaret University are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Scottish Student Sport 2020 Conference. Our Students’ Union supports our sports teams to punch well above their weight in relation to the relatively small size of our student community. We’re delighted to be able to open our doors to the SSS tribe in June and share with them a couple of days of inspirational activity.” 

Stew Fowlie, COO at SSS, added:

“There is a terrific blend of spaces and services available at QMU, allowing us to generate a really upbeat atmosphere for our members and guests. This environment, coupled with strong local support, provides all the ingredients for what promises to be our best conference yet. We look forward to working with QMU in the planning phase and most of all to welcoming the SSS tribe to Musselburgh for 48 life-changing hours in June.”

Conference 2020 will year take place on the 10th and 11th of June 2020. Add this date to your diary NOW and watch this space for further information and sign up!

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Wednesday 18th December 2019

Read all about the highlights from our annual Festive Gathering which took place at Perth College, UHI. A fitting way to end an incredible year of Scottish Student Sport.

For the first time, the SSS Tribe descended on Perth College UHI for our annual Festive Gathering. We were delighted to welcome our members, colleagues and friends from across the length and breadth of the country to participate in a number of forums, workshops and discussions – giving everyone the opportunity to learn, collaborate and innovate the world of Scottish Student Sport going into the new year.

Stew the COO and SSS Chair, Pete Burgon kicked things off with a SSS update and overview of the accounts before we were treated to a practical session delivered by our friends at Scottish Disability Sport (SDS).

SSS has a strong partnership with SDS and this partnership has flourished with the number of events across our member institutions greatly increasing over the last few months – highlighting the appetite for disability sport in both Colleges and Universities in Scotland. Heather Lowden and Gavin Macleod, from SDS, were joined by wheelchair athlete Gemma Lumsdaine to deliver practical skills and theoretical insight into disability sport.

As well as learning more about the disability sport landscape, participants had the opportunity to test their practical skills; activities included visually impaired running,  Wheelchair Basketball, Goalball and mastering the art of Boccia. For a number of participants this was the first exposure to disability sport and raising this awareness is an integral element of the partnership between SSS and SDS.

After a hearty lunch,  we were treated to a panel discussion on Women in Sport and a keynote workshop on organisational sustainability. The panel was chaired by University of Stirling’s Cathy Gallagher who guided the conversation on a range of topics from participation in student sport to career opportunities and the role of the media in women’s sport.

Cathy was joined by Shelley Kerr, Head Coach of Scotland Womens National Football Team, Gemma Lumsdaine, Wheelchair Basketball coach and Wheelchair Rugby Player, and Laura McGhie, Sports Journalist at BBC Scotland.

With a wealth of experience on the panel we explored some of the barriers to participation but also the hurdles that women potentially face/faced in beginning their career in sport. With fantastic role models on the panel some of the topics discussed included how we celebrate achievements, encourage leadership and promote careers in sport for young women. One of the key actions to come from the discussion is to look for ways to better communicate and promote what we are achieving in the world of Women’s sport, and the importance of collaborative working to achieve this.

Following the panel discussion we were treated to a keynote workshop from Jen Curran. Jen works for Wren & Greyhound, a consultancy supporting the not-for-profit sector in working toward organisational sustainability. Jen delivered fascinating insight on a number of topics relevant to the SSS Tribe including income diversification, workload management and the importance of relationships.

To finish the day the Tribe had the opportunity to hear from Professor Craig Mahoney, Principal at UWS and recently elected Chair of BUCS. Craig’s background in sport makes him a great candidate to succeed Professor Sir Ian Diamond in leading BUCS forward and supporting the work of SSS.

Special thanks to the staff at Perth College UHI for playing great hosts and making us feel warmly welcomed. Thanks to our guest speakers, the Women in Sport Panel, SDS and all our members who attended, contributed and participated in what was a great day and a fitting way to end a hugely successful 2019. Here is to 2020…

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Friday 6th December 2019

We are delighted to announce the return of the Scottish Student Games for 2020. Read the full games preview including information on venues, entries, photos from last year and details of a brand new sport in this years #ScotStuGames2020…

We are delighted to announce the return of the Scottish Student Games for 2020. Now running for its fourth successive year, the games will see competition in five sports, across three days, in one city. Forget #TOKYO2020, the event of year is #ScotStuGames2020. Edinburgh will hosts this years games with host venues including the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University and Eden Rock – with one more to be announced in due course.

This year the games are bigger and better than ever – as we welcome Judo to the action alongside returning favourites Trampolining, Climbing, Fencing and Climbing.  Click below to find out more about each event, including sign up information or scroll on for a preview of each event – including photos from last year.

This year sees the 35th edition of the Scottish Student Trampoline Open. Running over three days, this event is the flagship event of the SSS games with last years competition attracting over 500 participants from 33 institutions. The Trampoline Open will include the return of the Home Nations Event, in which the Scottish team will be looking to retain their crown and build on their impressive 21 podium places from last year. The action will take place in University of Edinburgh Pleasance Sports Hall and will kick off from Friday 31st of January. 📸A full list of photos from last years event can be found here! 

After last years success the Fencing Beginners Open Championship will return to Edinburgh Napier University. The Open will see beginner fencers from across the whole of the UK  so – we are expecting high numbers of entries in all of our categories; Sabre, Epee and Foil. Targeted at fencers who have less than two years experience behind them, this event is the perfect opportunity for students to build their competition experience, confidence and meet new people. 📸 Check out last years photos here! 

Eden Rock will be the venue for the Scottish Student Climbing Championships. The action will begin from 11am on Saturday 1st February and will include multiple bouldering challenges over various degrees of difficulty. This year the champs are joining forces with Eden Rock and will be hosted alongside their fourth round of their Winter Series. Last time out, the Moodie siblings – Fraser (University of Glasgow) and Sophie (University of Strathclyde) both came away with silverware and will be looking to repeat their glory this year.

The Table Tennis Championships will return to at St Leonard’s Land at the University of Edinburgh for the #ScotStuGames2020. With Team Scotland Commonwealth Games athlete Colin Dalgleish (Robert Gordon University) graduating last year, the Men’s Singles event is well and truly anyone’s title this year. 2019 saw record numbers of entries into the Table Tennis Champs so we will be hoping to build on those numbers with events in; Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and a Double Championships.

The fifth and final event is the Judo Individual Championships. This is a brand new event to the Scottish Student Games which will run over two days – Saturday 1st February and Sunday 2nd February. At the moment the venue location is TBC but will be released shortly along with all the entry information.📸Check out the photos from last years championships here!

  • Table Tennis Championships
    1st February 2020
  • Trampoline Open
    31st January - 2nd February 2020
  • Climbing Championships
    1st February 2020
  • Fencing Beginners' Open
    1st - 2nd February 2020
  • Judo Individual Championships
    1st -2nd February 2020

This is an event not to be missed. Whether you are participating, watching or volunteering make sure you get involved! Many thanks to all Governing Bodies involved with this event: Table Tennis Scotland, Climb Scotland, Scottish Fencing, Scottish Gymnastics and Judo Scotland.

To follow all the action of the #ScotStuGames2020 make sure you keep an eye out on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels where we will be bring you live updates and reaction as it happens!

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