Twenty-seven students recently completed the UDLA/FEF/FIFA/CIES International Programme

Twenty-seven students recently completed the UDLA/FEF/FIFA/CIES International Programme in Sports Management and received their diplomas in the magnificent auditorium of the Universidad de las Américas (UDLA) in Ecuador.

An academic partner of CIES since 2018, UDLA welcomed the graduates to the UDLA-Park campus, a 32,000-square-metre space perfectly integrated into the hilly landscape of Quito, offering ideal study conditions and first-class sports facilities.

The ceremony was attended by Carlos Larreátegui, Chancellor of UDLA, María Gabriela Hidalgo, Secretary General of the University, Gabriela Córdoba, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences (FACEA), Juan Unapanta, Director of FACEA, Paúl Roman, Director of the UDLA/FEF/FIFA/CIES International Programme, Emilio Arias, Programme Coordinator, and William Poveda, CIES Local Coordinator in Ecuador.

The students spoke of the importance of this training in helping them to better understand the various challenges facing contemporary sport. They said that the FIFA/CIES International Programme also offers an important human dimension as a forum for exchange, debate and sharing between individuals from a variety of professional and sporting backgrounds.

After the speeches and photos had been concluded, everyone enjoyed a cocktail reception and some special moments with their classmates, family members and friends.

We congratulate the new graduates who are leaving the university full of enthusiasm and plans for Ecuadorian sport. We would also like to thank the UDLA authorities for their tremendous support, as well as the members of the local team for the motivation and dynamism they have brought to our joint project over the past eight years.