The city of Miskolc, a city in Hungary located at the meeting point of the highlands and the lowlands, in the next 12 days, together with Debrecen, Country's second largest city, will be hosting places of the biggest university sports event in Europe. Both cities, vibrant and modern hubs of a great number of student-athletes, are ready to welcome the new champions in their disciplines. 

The official Opening Ceremony of the European Universities Games 2024 was held at Miskolc's DVTK Arena on July 12 with the presence of the representatives of the highest authorities of the host country, the University of Miskolc, University of Debrecen, City of Miskolc, Hungarian University Sports Federation (MEFS), European University Sports Association (EUSA), VIPs, Officials, athletes, and citizens of Miskolc.

At the beginning of the Opening Ceremony, the march passed with the athletes and officials present taking part. Around 3700 athletes and officials took part in the march, presenting their universities proudly at the European Universities Games 2024.

The march pass was followed by the Hungarian anthem and the rise of the Hungarian flag, done by the ambassadors of EUG2024. This institutional moment was followed by some promotional clips to present the city of Miskolc, the University of Miskolc and the EUG2024.

Athletes, officials, volunteers, and invited guests were first welcomed by Zita Horvath, rector of the University of Miskolc. She warmly welcomed everyone to Miskolc, wishing the athletes the best of luck and encouraging them to embrace fair play and enjoy the games. She thanked the government of Hungary, the Hungarian University Federation, the cities of Debrecen and Miskolc, the volunteers, and her colleagues for their dedication. She also mentioned the honour for both cities to share their values through sport and concluded her speech by celebrating the Games as a celebration of integrity and friendship.

She was followed by Prof. Lajos Moscai, president of the Hungarian University Sports Federation. He reflected on Hungary's participation in various championships and university games with FISU and EUSA. He thanked everyone for their hard work and sacrifices in contributing to the success of the event, including the Hungarian government, the state general for sport, and the rectors for overcoming difficulties. He emphasized the power of sport in community building and the importance of understanding each other’s cultures through sport.

The program of the Opening Ceremony then continued with a wonderful acrobatic performance.

EUSA President Mr. Adam Roczek greeted everyone, including representatives, athletes, organizers, and officials. “It was a dream to bring the games to Hungary. It has taken hard work and time, but we can proudly say: welcome to EUG Debrecen-Miskolc 2024! Thank you, City of Debrecen and Miskolc, Professor Zita Horváth, rector of the University of Miskolc, and Dr Zoltan Szilvassy, rector of the University of Debrecen, MEFS representative Professor Lajos Moscai, and many others. Thanks to those who made it possible for Ukrainian athletes to participate, and special thanks to the volunteers for their work and generous time. Dear students compete with passion, a spirit of friendship, and fair play values. Being a champion is about both your conduct inside and outside the sport,” said Mr. Roczek.

To officially mark the beginning of EUG 2024, Balazs Hanko, Minister of Culture and Innovation, wished the students successful games and valuable experiences. He expressed his gratitude to the organizers for their contributions to this event.

After the official opening of the Games, the representative of the athletes Vanda Toth and the representative of the referees Helder Lainho read the respective oaths.

After the ceremonial moment of the oaths, the moderators congratulated the volunteers for their great work and invited them to raise the EUSA flag, while the official anthem was played.

Athletes and officials representing 414 universities from 36 countries, forming a total number of 4736 participants, are taking part in the European Universities Games 2024 in Miskolc and Debrecen, Hungary.

The Opening Ceremony concluded with a musical performance by Budapest rock band Cairostone, who put all audience on their feet and made everyone singing and dancing, for a great conclusion of the event.

The European Universities Games in Miskolc and Debrecen are being organized under the license of the European University Sports Association (EUSA) by the University of Miskolc University and the University of Debrecen, Hungarian University Sports Federation (HUSF) and City of Miskolc and city of Debrecen, in cooperation with the EUSA Institute and several partners, including the national and local sports organization, media outlets and is also supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union.

To (re)watch the full Opening Ceremony, please see www.youtube.com/@eug_2024/videos
For more information, please see eug2024.eu