Participating organizations

The primary aim of the Sports Club of Miskolc University (MEAFC), founded in 1951, is to provide regular opportunities to students, faculty members and other employees of the university to participate in sports and competitions. It currently has 10 sport divisions in which over 700 persons engage in sports. In the sports of badminton, bridge, futsal, handball, orienteering, table tennis,and tennis, the fundamental objectives of the club are accomplished: competitions are at amateur level, in local, county and regional championships. One of the special sports of MEAFC is water polo, where the trainings are held with the involvement of children. In terms of the number of athletes and teams, as well as both earlier and current results, basketball and volleyball stands out from the other sports. In addition to having both men’s and women’s university teams, MEAFC also coordinates the entire sport of men’s basketball and men’s volleyball in Miskolc. Both divisions work with young players from the age of seven, offers opportunities for competition in all age groups. Our basketball, volleyball, futsal and table tennis teams all compete in the second league of the national championship. MEAFC coordinates the participation of the students in the Hungarian University and College National Championships (MEFOB) of different sport disciplines. The University of Miskolc participated in total of 12 sports at MEFOB in 2019 (based on this year due to COVID). In recent years, we managed to win MEFOB in both basketball and futsal.

MEAFC has been taking an active role in the Hungarian university sports movement since 1970’s. In connection with this, the University of Miskolc and the city of Miskolc organized the 2016 World University Orienteering Championship with great success and hosted the 2017 European Universities Basketball Championship. Both international sporting events were coordinated by MEAFC. The Orienteering Running University World Championships were voted the best event of the 2016 University World Championships out of 34 events.

The University of Miskolc and the city of Miskolc successfully organized the 2016 World Orienteering University Championship and hosted the 2017 European Universities Basketball Championship. In connection with these international sports events, MEAFC coordinated the organizational tasks. Our club also played an important role in the application process for the European Universities Games to be held in Miskolc and Debrecen in 2024. The preparatory work for one of the world’s largest – in terms of the number of participants – multisport events is already underway, which will take place on July 12-25, 2024. organized by the University of Debrecen and the University of Miskolc.

The Hungarian University Sports Federation (MEFS) was established on 25th March in 1907 – as first in Europe, and second in the world. Throughout its history MEFS successfully organized such important and great international university multisport events, as the VI. World University Games in 1935, the XII. World University Games in 1954, and the IV. Summer Universiade in 1965. The HUSF covers more than 98 % of students in Hungary through its member institutions. Currently 34 universities and 35 university sports clubs are members of the MEFS. Since 2012 the MEFS has been operating within the Hungarian Olympic Committee, as part of its division responsible for student, college and university sports.

As the responsible body for the university sports in Hungary, MEFS considers making sports a value and a fashion for young people in higher education a priority task. Following the main strategic lines specified in the Alfréd Hajós Plan 3.0, we can achieve our goals, which Hungarian university students in the short term as well as the health conditions of the entire nation and the economy in the long run can profit from. We consider a priority to create real value communities in connection with sports at universities, which can help to overcome social and generational problems, and which will reflect the lifestyle and life quality improving strength of the Hungarian intelligentsia and of the future intellectual elite. We need to provide young people with the opportunity and practice to be active in physical culture at least three times a week and to create an opportunity for our elite athletes to develop a dual career. We consider it extremely important to use the potential of movement literacy and movement culture to make it clear to everyone that working knowledge, decision-making and responsibility in other areas of life depend on the regular, lifestyle-integrated practice of this field of education to large extent. We believe that we can achieve the above goals together with systematic work, with the love of and respect for young people.

For MEFS is extremely important to create new mentoring programs for students, including volunteering possibilities, giving the opportunity to young people to gain some working experience in the field of sports event and sports competitions organizations. It is also very useful for us to involve students and have volunteers already with some experience, when it comes to national, international events.

In 2018, when Miskolc and Debrecen submitted the tender application for organizing EUG 2024, MEFS took part in preparation of application material and contributed to the success of the application with its professional support. MEFS will have an important role in the organisation of the European University Games in 2024.

European University Sports Association (EUSA) Institute is a non-profit non-governmental organisation working on developing university sports, organizing sports events, carrying out sports activities and projects and providing education in sports at the university level. The Institute supports activities of the EUSA, the governing body for university and college sport in Europe, having 46 national university sports member associations. As a pan-European non-governmental organisation, it links national university sport federations, universities, teams, individual competitors, volunteers and other partners throughout Europe.

EUSA mission is to maintain and develop regular communication between the national federations; to co-ordinate competitions, conferences, mass-sport-events and other activities; to represent university sport in general and the member federations in particular in relation to various European bodies; to disseminate throughout Europe the ideals of university sport in close collaboration with the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the European Commission, Council of Europe and other European organisations and institutions.

EUSA is the licensing body for the European Universities Championships and European Universities Games, which are organised in alternating years. Annually, over 4000 participants take part in our sports event directly, representing over 400 universities each year.

EUSA supports and promotes education and sports and is a strong advocate of dual careers. Because university sport is much more than only competitions, EUSA strives for the development of all its aspects, including the social values and educational activities. Through the organisation and participation in various conferences, seminars, conventions and other similar events, we bring together different stakeholders to share good practice and establish strong network. EUSA is also a proud partner in projects and initiatives carried out by our partners, European institutions and agencies, receiving support by the European Commission and other institutional bodies.

Social responsibilities projects are one of the priorities in EUSA. In the past few years, EUSA has been very active in the fields of equality and inclusion, volunteering, health-enhancing physical activities, dual career, anti-doping, sustainability and safeguarding in sport. EUSA is proud to have been leaders and partners in several projects, funded through the Erasmus+ and other EU programmes.