The 28th SELL Student Games were held in Finland, in the city of Espoo on 17-20th May 2012. SELL Games is a multi-sport student event open to all university and polytechnic students in the world. The games are hosted in alternate years by SELL countries (Suomi, Eesti, Latvija, Lietuva).

SELL Student Games 2012 was organized by Aalto University Sports Club and Aalto University Student Union, supported by the University, City of Espoo and Finnish Student Sports Federation. The central point of the event was located in Otaniemi, Espoo, in campus area of the Aalto University. Sustainability was a major theme in the games and the theme was taken into account in all important logistic actions of the event.

Fourteen different sports were in the programme of SELL Games this year. Team sports included basketball, volleyball, football, floorball and ultimate frisbee. Individual sports were athletics, judo, fencing, disc golf, tennis, chess, badminton, orienteering and swimming. All the sports were organized in both women’s and men’s categories.

For many athletes it was even more important to enjoy the atmosphere of an international student sports festival than winning the medals. However, many athletes of high international level took part in the SELL Student Games as well. Multiple participants of Shenzhen Summer Universiade 2011 were seen in Espoo but the most successful of all participants was without doubt the Lithuanian Austra Skujyte who won Olympic Silver medal in heptathlon already in Athens 2004. In SELL Games 2012 she competed in high jump and shot put, winning them both with good results.

The host university had also great sporting success. Aalto students won several gold medals in badminton, floorball, judo and swimming. Around 1600 athletes from 10 different countries took part to the games which were made possible by 170 volunteers. In the opening ceremony performances of jazz dance, circus arts, choir singing and a magician were seen in addition to the traditional speeches and flag march. 
 

Next year the SELL Games will be held in the capital of Latvia, Riga. Results and other information of the SELL Student Games 2012 can be found from the website www.sell2012.fi.

(Photos by A. Niemi)