ELEVEN COUNTRIES, TWO HUNDRED ATHLETES - THE EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY CHAMPIONSHIP
Miskolc hosted the European Universities Badminton Championships and the European Universities Water Polo Championships 2023 between 13-19 July. Two hundred athletes from 22 European higher education institutions from eleven countries will take part in the international event. The continental championships are organised by the University of Miskolc and the Miskolc University Athletics and Football Club, in cooperation with the Hungarian University Sports Association, the Hungarian Badminton Association, the Hungarian Water Polo Association and the Miskolc Municipality.
The European University Sports Association (EUSA) organises the European University Championships in different venues for different sports every few years.
The 2023 European Universities Badminton Championships will bring together 16 teams from 11 countries - France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Portugal, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and the Netherlands - to take part in the tournament. Hungary is represented by the Hungarian University of Physical Education, the University of Pécs, the University of Szeged and the University of Miskolc.
The European Universities Water Polo Championship will involve seven teams, four of them Hungarian: the University of Pécs, the University of Debrecen, Corvinus University of Budapest and the Budapest University of Economics. They will be joined by a Dutch team from Delft University of Technology and two English teams from Bristol and Oxford.
At a press conference on the European University Championship in Miskolc, the organisers said they would be offering high-quality leisure activities for the athletes and their companions, which would help to build community and ensure a good atmosphere. The event goes beyond itself, offering a unique community experience that, alongside the centuries-old tradition of the city and the university, gives a taste of the University of Miskolc's vision of the future, based on green and smart solutions, and a message to future generations.
Around 150 volunteers are expected to participate in the competitions. The university will offer them educational, individual competence development and self-awareness sessions as an accompanying programme.
European University Games, the continent's biggest student sport and community event
The European Universities Game, the European University Sports Federation's bi-annual multi-sport event since 2012, is the continent's largest student sport event and the world's 3rd largest sporting event in terms of participants, and is a major focus for Europe's universities and sports-loving public.
The University of Miskolc has received a HUF 20.6 billion grant from the Government of Hungary for the development of accommodation and sports infrastructure for the 2024 European University Games, with the intervention of Judit Varga, Minister of Justice.
About the organisers
The European University Sports Association (EUSA) was founded in 1999 by 25 European university sports associations, including the Hungarian University and College Sports Association (MEFS). Today, it brings together the National University Sports Federations of 47 European countries.
The European University Sports Federations are committed to promoting the ideals of fair play, gender equality and university sport. It also addresses issues such as the dual career model (sport and learning), promoting mobility for young people and sustainability. The organisation is a strong representative of European university sport and works in partnership with the European Union, the European Council and other European institutions.
The MEFS is the first university-college sports association founded in Europe in 1907 and the exclusive organiser of the Hungarian University-College National Championships, international university sports events and the participation of Hungarian university students in the European University Games.
Tens of thousands of successful students prove that the University of Miskolc is an excellent, competitive, internationally renowned higher education institution. With its centuries-old history, rooted in the academies of Selmecbánya and Eperes, the institution is committed to expanding and broadening its educational offerings and preserving its intellectual values in order to develop the talents of its students. By supporting learning, research and academic life, the institution shares the common goal of building a dynamic future for a university that is open to new horizons and offers equal opportunities to all those who want to learn. Everyone can be part of this development and renewal at the University of Miskolc.