One World Week sport returns to Warwick

Time flies. Just like that, OneWorld Week returns to take over campus yet again. For those of you who are (somehow) unaware of this week-long festival, OWW is the world’s largest student run international event which is held annually at Warwick. Comprised of four elements (Nights, Sports, Festival and Forum), OWW sees campus come alive through a series of night events, debates, parades, performances, games, exhibitions and sporting tournaments. It is an entirely student-run, non-profit initiative and encourages awareness of and positive action on issues which affect our One World.

Sport in particular addresses many of these issues and presents a unique opportunity to unite people, irrespective of race, culture or language. Endorsements for OWW Sport have ranged from Indian cricketer M.S. Dhoni to ex-Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia and, most recently, England Rugby Union international James Haskell, who has called OWW Sport “a great celebration of diversity Warwick University has to offer”. Haskell has written the foreword for this year’s Sports programme.

OWW Sport 2011 consists of 24 sporting events, ranging from conventional tournaments such as the OneWorldCup (5-a-side football), Warwick Cricket PremierLeague, OneWorld Open (Tennis) to the unorthodox events like ‘OWW3street’ (3×3 football), Floorball, Dodgeball and Fifa 11. This presents an opportunity for mates to get together and participate in some of the biggest and most unique sporting tournaments of the year.

New to OWW Sport this year is the Warwick Superstars which sees Olympic coach Daniel Careless test your strength, agility, flexibility, speed and coordination. After your team complete the circuit of exercises, Dan will use his expertise to assess fitness levels and suggest strategies for development. We will also be able to find out Warwick’s all-round fittest team. If you are serious about fitness, this is certainly not to be missed. Entry only costs £5 per team and all the proceeds are donated to our supported charity, Right to Play. Demand for this event is anticipated to be huge and entries will be served on a first come, first serve basis.

If you’re keen about fitness, yet prefer a more quirky approach, the ‘Fitness Rave Work OWWt’ is for you. Taking place in the Desso Hall, this unique class will incorporate a strenuous workout, with disco lights, glow sticks and rave gear (including Kanye West sunglasses, of course). Tickets are only £3, with all proceeds donated to a new founded charity, Warwick Heart Health.

Another highlight of OWW 2011 will see former Olympic medal winner David Moorcroft speak about his experiences of competing. In collaboration with OWW Forum, there will be a “Legacy of the Olympics” talk, which will hopefully stimulate an interesting discussion about London 2012 and its implications. Members from the Coventry Olympic Association will be present to discuss how students can get actively involved. This insightful event is additionally sponsored by Deloitte and will be an excellent networking opportunity in a unique context. The end of the talk will see none other than Sami Hyypia join us on Skype, with a question and answer session. For all true football fans out there, this will be a unique opportunity to hear him answering some interesting questions, as well as seeing his thoughts on the legacy that London 2012 will leave.

This year, OWW Sport concludes in memorable fashion, hosting, for the first time ever, a nationwide inter-university Rugby League tournament. This highly anticipated date on Warwick’s sporting calendar promises some fast paced rugby, big hits and great tries. Be sure to cheer on the Warwick Rugby League team at the Cryfield pitches, on February 5th, as they step up against some of the biggest teams and best players in the country.

In addition to organising a host of sporting tournaments to participate in, we’ve also arranged for the gym to be free on the 1st and 3rd of February until 4pm. There will also be ‘half-year’ gym membership at a reduced price of £63 during One World Week. Check out oneworldweek.net for more information about events and sign up your team.

Our message is simply to get involved – you won’t regret it. Life is short, life is sport.