UCAM is embarked on organising the biggest event in the history of Spanish university sport. It will hold the Spanish University Championships (CEU) in twenty of the twenty-nine possible sporting disciplines to mark the 25^th anniversary of its foundation. These events will bring more than 7,000 university athletes from all over the country to the Region of Murcia in March, April and May.  

The courtyard of the Los Jerónimos Monastery hosted the presentation ceremony for these championships, which was attended by Josefina García, Rector of UCAM; Marcos Ortuño, Regional Councillor of the Presidency, Tourism, Culture and Sport for the Region of Murcia; and Pablo Rosique, General Director of Sports at the Universidad Católica de Murcia. Furthermore, Fran Sánchez, General Director of Sports for the Region of Murcia, and a representation of athletes of the UCAM university team: Úrsula Ruiz and Andreu Blanes (athletics), Andrea Armada (karate) and players from the table tennis, football, and basketball teams, also attended the ceremony.  

Josefina García highlighted the Universidad Católica's contribution to the image of the Region by organising these twenty sporting events: "Once again the Universidad Católica is seeking to make a social contribution through sport. These championships boost the projection of our region and the socio-economic activity". Along these lines, Marcos Ortuño commented that "sport has the potential to attract visitors, boost tourism income, reduce seasonality and promote the Region". He also commented on how exciting these competitions will be for the people of Murcia, as these competitions "are an excellent opportunity for fans to see world-class athletes compete, including notable UCAM alumni". 

Pablo Rosique gave some details about the organisation, highlighting that "it is the first time that a university has organised twenty Spanish championships in the same year. The final phases of team sports, which up until now consisted of eight teams, have been increased to twenty teams. In addition, all athletes will do antigen tests in order to guarantee safety". 

Seven venues and elite athletes 

The towns that will host the competitions are Murcia (paddle tennis, tennis, football, rugby and athletics), Cartagena (swimming and karate), Lorca (cross-country), Las Torres de Cotillas (badminton and judo), San Javier (indoor football, handball and basketball), Los Alcázares (beach volleyball, indoor football, handball, wrestling, volleyball, table tennis and taekwondo) and San Pedro del Pinatar (fencing, triathlon and judo). 

As to its objectives, the Universidad Católica is once again aiming to break all the records of the national university sports medal table. To do so, it can count on a first-class university team that includes Olympic athletes such as the swimmer Mireia Belmonte, the karateka Damián Quintero, the athletes María Pérez, Diego García Carrera and Miguel Ángel López and the fencer Carlos Llavador, among others.    

Lorca kicks it all off with the cross-country running competition 

 Lorca will kick off the 2022 Spanish University Championships with the cross-country race (2 March). Andreu Blanes will once again lead the UCAM team in this race and will be one of the main contenders for gold.  

The Lorca City Hall hosted the presentation of this event which situates the city known as ''The City of the Sun'' as the starting point of this year's competitions. Diego José Mateos, Mayor of Lorca, was excited to host this competition in which 181 runners representing 34 universities will participate: "For us it is a privilege and an honour that UCAM, a national sporting institution, has chosen Lorca to host the Spanish University Championships. Investment in sport is not an expense, it is an investment in the future, values and promotion, which is why we are delighted".  

Group photo of the presentation of the Spanish University Championships in the courtyard of the Los Jerónimos Monastery