Being almost a month away from the start of the European Universities Games in Debrecen and Miskolc 2024, a press conference was held on 3rd of June, serving as an informative setting of what should be expected during the two sporting weeks this summer. 

The European Universities Games (EUG), scheduled to take place from July 12 to 24 in Miskolc and Debrecen, will involve more than 5000 participants including over 900 coaches, referees, and sports professionals, 3,800 athletes, and approximately 1,000 volunteers, as announced by the organizers at a press conference held at the University of Miskolc on Monday.

They stated that this year's EUG is Hungary's largest sports event since the 1965 Summer Universiade. The two-week competition will feature 17 sports, with students from four hundred universities across forty countries participating in the two county seats.

Balázs Hankó, the State Secretary responsible for innovation, higher education, vocational training, and adult education at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, announced that sports have become an integral part of every field of study in higher education. He stated that the sports-related infrastructure at universities is continuously being renewed, and an annual budget of 2.5 billion forints is allocated for university sports activities. He declared that special resources are provided to ensure that university athletes who advance Hungarian sports receive individual academic schedules that support both their sports careers and their education.

"Let Hungarian youth be the most successful," emphasized the State Secretary. He added that alongside knowledge and creativity, a health foundation based on sports is essential. Hankó Balázs stressed the importance of students developing a connection to their institutions.

Lajos Mocsai, President of the Hungarian University and College Sports Association (MEFS), stated at the press conference that Hungarian university sports can prove its ability to be among the leaders in Europe in these areas. He added that physical performance positively impacts cognitive performance. Regarding the EUG, he said preparations for the event have been ongoing for three years.

Balázs Baji, Deputy CEO of the National Sports Agency, mentioned that university sports events also play a community-building role. He emphasized the importance of maintaining involvement in sports even after completing higher education.

As part of the European Universities Games, volleyball, chess, judo, kickboxing, karate, basketball, tennis, water polo, beach volleyball, and taekwondo will be held in Miskolc. In Debrecen, futsal, football, 3x3 basketball, handball, badminton, table tennis, para-table tennis, and beach handball will be featured. The EUG will see 700 participants from 22 domestic higher education institutions, representing the largest Hungarian delegation in the history of the Games. The mascot of the Games is a lynx named Demi, whose name is derived from the first two letters of the names of the two cities.

For more information, please see  https://eug2024.eu/