The university sports club "Akademik" was established in 1955 at the then Higher Institute of Mechanization and Electrification of Agriculture (HIMEA). Its chairman is associate professor engineer Petar Zlatarev, PhD who led it until 1962. In 1959, the Department of "Physical Education and Sport" was officially established. The creator and head of the department was associate professor, Yosif Ganev, PhD who was also the first teacher of physical education in 1954 at the newly established higher institute. Associate Professor Ganev, PhD made a huge contribution to the construction of the sports base - a football field with an athletics track, a sports hall. He led the Institute's basketball team. He was the head of the department until 1985.
In 1986, senior lecturer Vladimir Kanev, PhD was appointed head of the "Physical Education and Sports" department. He is one of the most famous sports acrobatics coaches, both in Bulgaria and abroad. For many years, he was the senior coach of the Bulgarian national team in 27 of its graduates are masters of sports, of which 6 are awarded the title of meritorious master of sports.
The head of the department in 1992 was senior lecturer Boris Stefanov, PhD. He graduated from the then Higher Institute of Physical Culture "Georgi Dimitrov" with two recognized specialties: Basketball and Table Tennis. The men's basketball team under his leadership reached the finals of the OSI several times. The table tennis teams also achieved enviable achievements.
Professor Antoaneta Momchilova, PhD headed the department from 1996 to 1998, as well as in 2004-2005. From 1998 to 2004, the head of the "Physical Education and Sports" department was senior lecturer Todor Delev, PhD. He realized the first stage of the construction of the "Akademik" indoor sports complex.
Now, the head of the department is senior lecturer, Dimitar Obreshkov, PhD. He started working at the University of Ruse in 1987. National weightlifting competitor.
Over the years, the department of "Physical Education and Sports" has had a lot of success in many sports; Basketball; Volleyball; Football; Handball; Athletics; Sports Orienteering, Badminton and others.
In 1963, the student basketball team won the National Cup playing on behalf of Ruse. In 1964, the students of HIMEA were in the ranks of the representative sports teams of Ruse.
The women's volleyball team led by senior teacher Mima Voikova, PhD won a bronze medal at the all-student sports games in 1997 and 1998. Bronze medals were also won by the handball teams in 1983 and 1997. In 1976, the football team was the student champion of OSI and they repeated their success in 1992, as the coach of the team at that time was senior professor Dimitar Andonov, PhD. The team of the University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev" in sports orienteering is the champion of OSI three times and several times vice-champion under the leadership of engineer Valentin Kamenarov, PhD. He is a long-time competitor in sports orienteering with over 1500 starts. He has trained many national champions, as well as competitors in world and European championships. Strong years for swimming were from 1995 to 1998. Petar Stoychev is the first student from Ruse to win a World Cup swimming competition in Argentina in 1998. Five-time winner of the World Cup in swimming marathon with a coach at the university - senior professor Plamen Stanchev, PhD. Under the leadership of senior lecturer Milena Grigorova, PhD, in 1998 the track and field athletes of the University of Ruse came third in the team at the All-Student Sports Games.
