By bringing together different generations, areas of knowledge and perspectives on sport, the ninth edition of the Sports Science Congress (CCD), which began this Wednesday (30), in parallel with the eighth International Symposium on Sports Science, at Unicamp, opens space for new connections and possibilities for research and professional activity. Held by the Faculty of Physical Education (FEF), the congress brings together 330 participants and 161 works, including oral presentations and posters. The number of registered participants represents growth compared to the previous edition, which had 131 participants.
From lifelong athlete development to high-performance mental health, including biomechanics, Paralympic sport and the organization of major events, such as the Women's Football World Cup in Brazil in 2027 and the Los Angeles Olympic Games (USA) in 2028, the event, which runs until Friday (2), presents different dimensions of sports science and brings together researchers and professionals from Brazilian and foreign institutions.
At the opening session in the Convention Center, Rector Paulo Cesar Montagner, a professor at FEF and director of the unit from 2006 to 2010, emphasized that the congress has a role that goes beyond the presentation of scientific results. “It is meetings like this that help build academic and professional trajectories. It is where a young researcher presents their first work, receives criticism and praise, meets a new research group, finds a potential advisor, or simply discovers a new line of investigation or area in which they may become interested,” he commented.
Montagner also drew attention to the challenge of bringing the knowledge generated at the University to other areas of society. “We have a responsibility to ensure that the science we produce here, and which is presented at this congress, reaches schools, clubs, health services, sports facilities, public policies, and, more broadly, people's daily lives. This is a huge challenge,” he stated.
The rector also highlighted the possibilities opened up by technological advances in sports. "Data science and artificial intelligence, new technologies for monitoring and evaluating performance, and advances in understanding how the body works open up important windows of opportunity and perspectives for research and professional practice," he added.
According to FEF director João Paulo Borin, the congress reflects a broadening of perspectives on sport. He observes that major sporting events, such as the upcoming Women's World Cup, contribute to bringing society closer to this universe. "These are events that make our external community understand the role of the university and sports science," he stated.
Borin also highlights FEF's mission to train professionals and researchers while simultaneously establishing relationships beyond academic spaces. For him, the growth in the number of participants and scientific papers presented is one indicator of this trajectory.
Dialogue and tributes
The program brings together the three departments of FEF: Sports Science, Humanities, and Adapted Physical Activity. According to the congress president, Professor Evandro Lázari, the aim of this edition was to broaden the dialogue between the different areas. "We plan to discuss sports science, regardless of whether it's high performance, training, or social aspects," emphasized Lázari, who completed his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral studies at Unicamp and participated, as a student, in the first edition of the event in 2005.
According to FEF's associate director, Laurita Marconi Schiavon, the variety of themes was a choice made by the organization to cater to different audiences and stages of the sporting journey. “The program brings together discussions ranging from childhood and the development of young athletes to high performance, including long-term sports preparation planning, biomechanics, and Paralympic sports. It's truly a diversity that caters to a very diverse audience,” she stated. Schiavon's own trajectory helps illustrate this continuity: a former undergraduate and graduate student at Unicamp, she also participated in the first edition of the congress and is now part of its organizing committee.
The connection to the history of the congress was also present at the opening. The organization honored professors who led previous editions of the event. "I am very pleased that we managed to bring all the presidents from previous editions," says Lázari. The tribute, according to him, recognizes the contribution of those who participated in the construction and consolidation of the congress.
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