The Department of Sports and Physical Education, as one of the teaching entities directly under Hefei University of Technology, is recognized for its excellence in physical education and research and university sports teams.
Hefei University of Technology maintains a long tradition of student participation in sport. Since 1947, the University has never ceased its efforts in pursuing excellence in sport. Back in 1958, it was awarded ‘National Flagship University in Sports” by the then national director of sports. Officially founded in 1987, the Department of Sports and Physical Education has ushered the University into another period of booming development in sport. The University has been awarded successively “Excellent University in Sports Management” by provincial and national sports authorities, “Provincial Exemplary University in Sport and Physical Education” and “Provincial Demonstration Base for traditional Sports of Ethnic Minorities” since 1999. It has established several national youth sport clubs and the course - “University Sports” was selected as the 1st batch of provincial key courses. At present, HFUT is home to the deputy presidency offices of Handball, Basketball, Bicycle, Rhythmic Gymnastics and Aerobics as well as Karatedo Branch under the Federation University of Sports of China.
Adhering to the principle of “Improving health in a student-oriented way”, the Department has accommodated the learning interest and realistic demands of the students in its undergraduate course planning by launching over 40 courses covering University Sport 101, Basketball, Volleyball, Football, Handball, Ping-Pong, Taekwondo, Fencing, Tennis, Martial Art, Physical Dance, Bridge Game, etc. in forms of introductory in-class teaching and optional courses. The Department has published 11 “University Physical Education” serial textbooks and invested a lot in course and research innovation. In recent years, the Department has been in charge of over 30 teaching and research programs and published over 100 academic papers, which in turn guided the university sport practice proactively.
The University has long prioritized the holding of various sports contests and innovative cultural activities in a bid to develop quality education and enrich campus life. Students in the University have always been the active players in the university sports festivals and many national sports competitions. Brilliant performance has been scored in various sports, in particular, handball, basketball and ping-pong. The University Handball Team has won 14 championships in all 26 National University Handball Championships that has been held so far; the University Basketball Team has won 12 champions in Anhui CUBA (Chinese University Basketball Association) Preliminary Competition; the University Ping-Pong Team is a constant competitor in provincial and national sports meetings and championships and has won the Champion in the 16th National University Ping-Pong Championship. The University has also performed well in other sports, such as football, track and field, cycling, Cross-Country Orienteering, badminton, bridge game and cheerleading. As one of the three high-level university sports team, the handball team has also served as a medium of exchanges with universities in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Currently, we have a comprehensive gym with a floor space of over 7,800 m2 , several indoor gym covering around 9,500 m2, over 30,400 m2 of outdoor basketball, volleyball, football, handball, tennis and badminton playgrounds, among which there are three 400-meter athletic fields, 5 standard football fields and 2 standard swimming pools, etc..
The Department is well staffed with 53 full-time teachers including 2 professors, 24 associate professors and 28 lecturers. There are in total 8 functionaries under the Department, responsible for a full range of sport-related affairs such as teaching, research, sports team training, talent recruitment, facility maintenance and management and so on.
With first-class faculty, facilities and an unwavering persistence in sport excellence, the Department of Sports and Physical Education is destined to achieve more in the future.
