The Volunteers' Academy has 300 students ©CBDU

The Brazilian University Sports Confederation (CBDU) has presented its first group of volunteers who will assist at their major events.  

The Volunteers Academy has 300 students who will follow guidelines set out by the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

They were unveiled at the at the Excellence Center of Sport in Goiânia. 

"CBDU is using FISU's investment in empowering people around the world to improve and perfect the volunteer department," said Luciano Cabral, the President of CBDU.

"The idea is to train volunteers throughout the year, enabling them to not only work in the university events of Brazil and FISU, but also to serve all the sporting events of our country."

The CBDU Volunteer Department was established three years ago, but will now train volunteers using the tools and knowledge acquired at the FISU Volunteers Leaders Academy held this July in Kazan, Russia. 

Volunteers will receive almost 7,000 people involved in the Brazilian University Games (JUBs), which are the largest university competition in Latin America.

The volunteers will work at the Brazilian University Games ©CBDU
The volunteers will work at the Brazilian University Games ©CBDU

Action begins in Goiânia today and will continue to October 29. 

The Kazan event brought together more than 100 volunteers from 91 countries, who shared practices related to volunteer projects for major international competitions. 

Paula Leal Vasconcelos, a post-graduate student in marketing and advertising, represented the CBDU at the event and is closely involved with the new Academy.

"The FISU Volunteers Leaders Academy was outstanding and made me see how important volunteers are for any event, be it sport or not," she said.

Vasconcelos has experience as a volunteer coordinator in the JUBs of 2013 and 2014, as well as in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2013, the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The 26 states of Brazil and the Federal District will participate in this year's JUBs.

Sports on the programme are athletics, badminton, judo, swimming, tennis, table tennis, beach volleyball, chess, basketball, futsal, 3x3 basketball, handball, taekwondo, e-sports and volleyball. 

Swimming, table tennis and athletics will also be played in the Para-sport section.