Two out of three Danish Olympic Games and world championship medals in 2016 were won by elite athletes who were at the same time studying for a degree. In fact, Aarhus University students alone accounted for 22 per cent of all the medals awarded to Denmark. This is the conclusion of a new study conducted by Aarhus University in cooperation with Team Danmark and the Sports Confederation of Denmark.

2017.02.01 | Camilla Schrøder

Anne-Marie Rindom is an athlete who competes in Laser Radial class sailing. She is also a student at Aarhus University. And in 2016, while continuing her studies and with the support of Team Denmark, she won medals at the Olympics and the world championships.

Aarhus University is behind a new study which indicates that higher education and an athletic career can be combined without negative effects on athletic performance. In fact, two out of three Danish Olympic Games 

Aarhus University is behind a new study which indicates that higher education and an athletic career can be combined without negative effects on athletic performance. In fact, two out of three Danish Olympic Games and world championship medals in 2016 were won by elite athletes who were at the same time studying for a degree. In fact, Aarhus University students alone accounted for 22 per cent of all the medals.

At Aarhus University, the study’s conclusions have been received as confirmation that it is possible combine academic and athletic ambitions, and that the university’s dual career programme is working.

“We’re proud that students from Aarhus University have achieved such fantastic athletic results. And we can also see that they’re doing well with their studies. They’ve proven that it’s possible to deliver a top performance in more than one field if you work hard and get the right guidance. It must be possible to have high ambitions for both an academic and a professional career, and Aarhus University’s dual career programme provides support for this,” says Berit Eika, pro-rector at Aarhus University.

With 40 athletes support by Team Denmark, Aarhus University has the highest number of any educational institution in Denmark. Aarhus University has a total of 240 elite athletes. And the dual career programme appears to be benefiting all of them.

“The dual career programme gives students a flexible framework for combining their academic and athletic careers, so that they can prepare themselves for a future outside the world of sport. And the study confirms that at Aarhus University, this group generally performs academically, has a low drop-out rate and satisfactory progress toward degree,” says Eika.

The study from Aarhus University is a small empirical study which only includes elite athletic performance by Danish student athletes in 2016. However, its conclusions are corroborated by similar surveys from Australia and Great Britain, which also clearly indicate that combining an elite athletic career and an education does not have a negative effect on athletic performance.

• Read the press release from Team Danmark (in Danish) 
• Read more about the dual career programme at Aarhus University (in Danish)
• Read article by Berit Eika published in JP Aarhus on 3 October 2016 (in Danish)