2019_10_08_DEP_talento_deportivo

120 students from different Schools and in thirty different sports disciplines are participating this year in a new edition of the Sports Talent program, promoted by the Olympic Center programs of study of the University of Navarra. The goal is to offer a comprehensive training to competitive athletes, providing them with the necessary support so that they can combine their programs of study with professional sports internship . The opening ceremony of the program was held at sports center and was attended by the Alumni Vice President , Tomás Gómez-Acebo. 

Talento Deportivo allows students to use the financial aid of their professors to coordinate the academic schedule (theory classes, practical workshops, exams, etc.) with the practice of the sports disciplines in which they are federated. Students can obtain two credits per course and up to six throughout the degree program. These athletes have three annual sessions on nutrition, sports psychology, medical attendance and a complete training so that they can learn about the sports field as a whole.  

Eduardo Prieto Iglesias, from Pamplona and a student of Master's Degree at Tecnun-Escuela de Ingenieros, is a referee in LaLiga Santander, 1st national soccer division. Prieto is participating in the program for the first time and says that, in order to combine his programs of study with professional sports activity, "a lot of organization and efficiency" is necessary. "If the program did not exist, I would have enormous difficulties and I would be forced to choose," he adds.

In a similar status are Daria Abasheva and Antonio Bazán, 4th and 6th year students, respectively, at School of Medicine. Abasheva practices fencing and Antonio Bazán, from Zizur Mayor, is a professional handball player with Helvetia Anaitasuna and the Spanish national team. They have participated in the program since the beginning of their programs of study. They point out that it provides flexibility and allows them to talk to teachers to change exam dates, class schedules and practices. 

Yarima Miranda Ilundain, from Lakuntza and a first year student of Degree in History + Diploma in Archaeology, has competed since the age of 15 in the 1st and 2nd division of women's soccer conference room . "Thanks to the sport, I have met people from all over the world, I have been able to travel all over Spain and even outside the country," she says. For her, the Sports Talent Program is an opportunity "to continue playing and to be able to perform to the maximum both in study and in sport". 

The students will be part of and will act as ambassadors of yearbook sports, an initiative of Sports Service of the University that aims to publicize all students who practice sports whether they are federated or not. 

The director of Sports Service, Javier Trigo, stressed that the main thing for the student must be the study, "because the goal is that all of them finish their careers in an excellent way", he said. At the same time, he invited them not to neglect the sports internship . The Alumni Vice President , Tomás Gómez-Acebo, closed the ceremony by thanking the participants: "We trust you, that's why we put the seal of Sports Talent on you; because you know how to look at others and think about the team, the effort and work".