The European Universities Games in Miskolc and Debrecen represent the largest university multi-sport event in Europe this year. After 15 days of competitions, the event concluded with a closing ceremony, held on Wednesday, July 24, at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen.

The closing ceremony was held in the presence of the highest regional, city, university and university sports officials, and showed highlights of each of the 17 and one inclusive sports featured at the 2024 Games, as well as giving a sneak peek of what we can expect at the next European Universities Games in 2026 in Salerno.

Three closing speeches took place at the ceremony. First to address the present participants, was the Rector of the University of Debrecen, Mr Prof. Dr. Zoltán Szilvássy, followed by Dr Balazs Hanko, Minister of Culture and Innovation and Mr Adam Roczek, President of the European University Sports Association.

Mr Roczek, thanked all the present athletes, officials, the members of the organizing committee and officially declared the Games concluded.

After the lowering of the EUSA flag and playing the academic anthem Gaudeamus Igitur, the flag was passed from the President of the Organising Committee of the European Universities Games 2024, MEFS President Lajos Mocsai, to the organizers of the next edition of the European Universities Games in 2026, represented by Vice Rector of University of Salerno, Mr Carmine Vecchione, CUS Salerno President and FISU Executive Committee Member Mr. Lorenzo Lentini, and University of Salerno General Director Mr Attilio Riggio. In 2026, the university sports community will gather in Salerno, located in the south of Italy.

Over 6000 people were directly engaged in the event, recording 4513 participants, representing 414 universities from 36 countries. Over 800 volunteers contributed to the success of the event, and other key people making the event a reality were members of the Organising Committee, EUSA representatives and staff, as well as a strong delegation of referees and judges, many of them nominated through European sport governing bodies.

Mr Adam Roczek, handed out a special token of appreciation to the two of the volunteering coordinators, as a thank you gift for their valuable work and contribution to the success of the event.

The European Universities Games target athletes enrolled in higher education studies in Europe, and this year’s edition of the Games offered them the chance to compete in 3x3 Basketball, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Handball, Beach Volleyball, Chess, Football, Futsal, Handball, Judo, Karate, Kickboxing, Table Tennis, Para Table Tennis, Tennis, Volleyball, Water Polo. Competitions in 3x3 Basketball and Football were also considered as European qualifiers for FISU University World Cups.

Apart from the sports competitions, the Games offered a wide array of educational, cultural and social activities. Several educational events, including conferences on volunteering, workshops on social skills, fair play, mental health, dual career and other fun and educational activities have been carried out in July.

The European Universities Games in Miskolc and Debrecen were organized under the license of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) by the University of Miskolc, University of Debrecen and City of Miskolc, in cooperation with the EUSA Institute and several partners, including the Ministry of Education and Science, national and local tourism organizations, national and local sports organization, media outlets and was also supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and the International University Sports Federation (FISU).

For more information, please see the official website of the event: eug2024.eu