This is the tenth agreement between Luiss and the FITA.

"Today is an important day for the federation with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding ratified with the Luiss university," FITA President Angelo Cito said, as reported by Italian news outlet ANSA.

"We have kicked off an important initiative for academic sport with the hope that high-level athletes will begin a course of study in Luiss."

According to the academy’s website, their mission to is supply student-athletes with guidance in academia and to enhance their athletic skills for their sporting discipline.

The Italian university’s aims include channelling education and wellness through sport and to develop, support and encourage sporting opportunities for all "stakeholders".

Their sports programme boasts five categories that student-athletes can be classified into.

The first category, the "Luiss Top Athletes", are for those registered with national or foreign sports federations, of national or international interest or had a minimum of convocations for their national representatives.

The second classification is "Luiss Team Athletes", who compete with AS Luiss teams and are registered with National Federations.

Athletes qualify for the "Luiss Pro Athletes" - the third category - if they are high-profile and are members of national or foreign clubs or associations.

The "Luiss Athletes" and "Luiss Players" are the final two categories.

The former relates to those who are members of a federation or a sporting promotion body while the latter is for non-competitive athletes participating in sporting events organised by the academy.

"The agreement with an active federation such as FITA is a moment to reaffirm the centrality of sport in Luiss as a system of values that will surely enrich our students," Giovanni Lo Storto, the director of Luiss, said.