The Université de Lyon Sports Association's (AS) footballers play in China

On December 19 last year, the President of the Université de Lyon, Khaled Bouabdallah, received a delegation of 37 players, 1 referee and 7 coaching staff from the Université de Lyon's Sports Association to congratulate them on their brilliant performance during the tournament in China. Guo Wei, the Chinese Consulate-General, and Michèle Cottier, Vice-President for Student Life, also joined to celebrate their victory and to praise the commitment made by the students.

Last autumn, two teams from the Université de Lyon's Sports Association took part in a Franco-Chinese University Tournament. The first team was composed of nineteen students from the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (Sciences and Techniques of Physical and Sports Activities (STAPS), and Science). The second team was composed of ten students from the Université Lumière Lyon 2 and eight from the Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3. Each team played three matches, which they won hands down.

During the visit, our students were also able to visit the university campuses in Shenyang and Beijing, and talk with their Chinese counterparts during various receptions and gatherings. Cultural visits were also on the agenda, such as a visit to the Olympic football stadium, the Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty in Shenyang, the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing.

This project was funded by the Université de Lyon through the Student Initiative Fund. The success of this first tournament will hopefully be repeated next year when Chinese students are hosted in Lyon.