European University Basketball Championship to take place in Miskolc
The City and the University of Miskolc will host the 2017 European University Championship in basketball. The event will be held from 16-23 July with 16 male and 12 female teams taking part. Not long ago Miskolc was visited by Peter George, the technical delegate of the European University Sport Association (EUSA) and a renowned member of the basketball community, in order to inspect the preparations.
An unusual feature of the European championship is that competing teams are not made up of a national team of university players, but rather of teams of universities, typically the winning team in national university basketball championships.
It is important to point out that the Hungarian university basketball scene has made major progress in recent years. The Hungarian Basketball Federation and the Hungarian University Sports Federation began organising a real university league in 2012 for basketball – the only sport honoured this way – that allows teams to play against each other during the whole academic year. In the 2016/2017 academic year, for example, 16 male teams and 13 female teams will play a total of 240 games as they battle for the title of Hungarian University Basketball Champion and for the right to participate in the European Universities Basketball Championship. The development seen in recent years led to the desire to organise the European championship in Hungary.
Peter George, a former international referee and Commissioner of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) from 1995-2015, inspected the sites for games, training, accommodation, meals, and various related events. The organisational requirements were discussed, and he also met with university rector Prof. Dr. András Torma, university chancellor Dr. Csaba Deák (also Chairman of the Organising Committee), Péter Bodnár (Secretary General of the Hungarian Basketball Federation), Dr. Lóránt Képes (Head of Division, Miskolc Mayor’s Office) and Zoltán Rakaczki (Hungarian University Sports Federation council member, Director of the Organising Committee).
Peter George expressed his views that basketball stands out from other university sports, being the oldest European university championship level and having the largest number of participants. He said that there is strong competition both to participate in and to host the championship, and Hungary, and more specifically the University of Miskolc, winning the right to host it is a momentous achievement. Mr. George expressed his satisfaction with the sites and planning for the event, and praised the importance placed on it and the support given by all of the partners – the University of Miskolc, the Municipality of Miskolc, the Hungarian Basketball Federation and the Hungarian University Sports Federation.
The international sporting event is expected to draw 500 participants and officials to Miskolc, which means about 4,500 guest nights. The competition courts are located in Generali Arena, the Ice Rink, and the gymnasium of the University of Miskolc. Sports fans will have the chance to watch skillful players and cheer for the local team (or any team of their choice).