The Healthy Campus project, due to be launched in May, aims to improve standards of health and fitness on university campuses worldwide. 

FISU's main aim through the new project is to bring global universities together so they can share information, good practices and guidelines to help each other maintain a healthy campus.

President Matytsin said he believed the project will take on extra significance as it is set to be launched at a time when many university campuses around the world will be closed due to lockdowns enforced by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

"Through this project FISU will provide a unique and very important tool to universities around the world to promote the values of physical activity, health and nutrition among their student community," said Matytsin.

“This project is really like a bridge between elite sport and the larger student community.

“Every year, there may be 10,000 or 20,000 athletes who participate in our events but there are more than 150 million university students across the globe.

"Through this project we have a chance to unite this vast community and give them a common platform to share positive examples and best practices.

“This will also allow us to have a direct dialogue with universities and students.

"We are working with seven pilot universities right now, but the aim is to eventually take it to all.”

The pilot universities that FISU are currently working with on the Healthy Campus project are the Universidad Nacional de La Matanza in Argentina, the University of Western Australia, the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, the University of Turin in Italy, the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia in Moscow, Peking University of China and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, where FISU's headquarters are based.

“With this Healthy Campus project FISU is going several steps ahead from being an organiser of sports and education events to actually taking social responsibility for universities and students," Matytsin added.

Meanwhile, during an interview on Instagram Matytsin encouraged students to use the lockdown as a chance to reflect on their personal development and their future goals.

"Just like everyone else, we at FISU are very disappointed about having to cancel events due to the coronavirus pandemic,” said Matytsin.

“Not just FISU, but all international sport is in a crisis. 

"However, we have to be optimistic and look at the silver lining.

“Even as they stay fit at home and continue their preparation for sports events, athletes may have the time right now to focus a little bit more on their academics and education and think about their dual career.”