On March 13-14, 2016 the EUSA Evaluation Commission for European Universities Games 2020 composed of Mr Adam Roczek, EUSA President, Mr Olaf Tabor, Treasurer and Mr Matjaz Pecovnik, Secretary General visited Tampere (FIN), the EUG Candidate City.

The bidding procedure for the 2020 Games opened on June 1, 2015 and two cities presented their candidatures - the City of Tampere, Finland, and the City of Belgrade, Serbia.



The EUSA delegates were firstly welcomed by Mr Bennie Wardi, President of the Finnish Student Sports Association (OLL), Ms Hanna Laakso, OLL Secretary General and Mr Perttu Pesä, Director for Major Events of City of Tampere; who made afterwards the general presentation of the candidature.



The participants after visited the Tampere Exhibition and Sports Centre, which with its four halls, offers a framework of more than 22,500 m² for various sport events. EUSA representatives also visited the Tennis Sports Centre, foreseen to host Tennis, Table Tennis and Badminton competitions, as well as Tampere Exhibition and Sports Center and other sport and accommodation facilities in the city.



During the second day of the evaluation, EUSA representatives held several meetings with the authorities and representatives of the City of Tampere, Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Ministry of Education and Culture.



The first meeting was organized with Mr Markku Lahtinen, Rector of Tampere University of Applied Sciences. The Rector made a presentation of the university and its activities and confirmed the full support of universities in Tampere for successful organization of the event. Participants after visited the University Sports Centre and its football stadiums to be used for the games.



Mrs Anna-Kaisa Ikonen, the Lord Mayor of the City of Tampere, the main partner in the project, stressed the reasons for bidding for the European Universities Games and the legacy to be achieved with the event.



The last meeting was organized in Helsinki with Mr Harri Syväsalmi, Director of the Department for Youth and Sport Policy at Ministry of Education and Culture. The participants discussed the role of the ministry in the project for making the organization of the games 2020 in Finland possible.



EUSA delegates will this week visit also Belgrade (SRB), the second candidate city for organization of the European Universities Games 2020. The Evaluation Commission will present their report from both visits to the EUSA Executive Committee, which will meet on April 8, 2016 in Wroclaw (POL) to attribute the organisation of this biggest European student sport event in 2020.