Nordhausen (FHPN) Since the University of Applied Sciences was founded in 1998, sport has also been offered to students on an optional basis.

The programme began with 140 students. Volleyball and football were the favoured sports in which students could get active during lecture-free periods. As student numbers grew, the sports programme also became more extensive. Basketball, badminton and table tennis were added.

Today, 1,600 students are enrolled at the University of Applied Sciences and the Studienkolleg, and the sports programme has been expanded accordingly. In the sports hall on the campus of the University of Applied Sciences, the late afternoons and evenings through to the weekend are filled with sports programmes for students, and the popularity of volleyball and badminton in particular is growing.

In recent years, selected teams from the University of Applied Sciences have represented their institution in the state cup competitions for students in football and volleyball. Teams from the University of Applied Sciences have been taking part in the volleyball charity tournaments since 1999.

In the non-active group, the University of Applied Sciences team won the trophy donated by the District Administrator three times in a row from 2000 to 2002. Last year, a student team won again and will have to defend the trophy at this year's charity tournament on 3 December 2005.

The campus festival takes place every year at the end of the lecture period at the beginning of July. The end of the semester is celebrated with cultural events. This also includes sport. A volleyball tournament has always been organised for the campus festival. Mixed teams are formed on the basis of the individual degree programmes to compete for the university champion. This year, nine teams competed, including a team of staff and lecturers. For the first time, a football tournament was also held with eight teams, which was won by students from the Moroccan preparatory college.

In June, the first university sports festival was successfully premièred, featuring teams from the Nordhausen and Sondershausen grammar schools and the university teams in basketball, football and volleyball. These competitions are to be continued in order to ensure the university's presence in the region in the field of sport.

Sport is therefore part of student life. And more and more students are taking advantage of the opportunities on offer to stay fit and have fun in sporting competitions. If you can't find your sport in the university sports programme, you can join the sports clubs in Nordhausen. Contact persons and the sports programme are published on the FHN website.