The biggest summer sports event in Lodz is fast approaching. The European Universities Games 2022 will see over 6 thousand athletes competing in 20 disciplines, ranging from football, through volleyball, basketball, handball, to combat sports, of which there are five in the programme. This is a record in the history of the EUG.
– After pandemic times, this is one of the four biggest athletic events in the world. We had the Summer Games in Tokyo, then the Winter Games in Beijing. We are still waiting for the postponed Universiade in China, and the EUG is the biggest multi-sport event to be held in Europe. I hope that we will show that we are great at organizing, that Lodz is a beautiful city and Poland is a beautiful country, said Krzysztof Jóźwik, Rector of Lodz University of Technology.
The opening ceremony of EUG Lodz 2022 will be held on 17 July in Atlas Arena. Exactly 100 days before its beginning, in the centre of Lodz – at the junction of Piotrkowska Street and Mickiewicza Avenue – a clock was started measuring the time until the start of the Lodz Games. The event organizers hope that the biggest sports hall in the city will be filled to capacity. Spectators will be able to see the traditional parade of athletes, as well as a musical and visual show.
– The European Universities Games come in a year when Lodz was named one of the 25 cities in the world worth visiting. We are all already looking forward to the last two weeks of July, when we will be able to admire the struggles of academic athletes. I warmly invite all Lodz residents to come and support all the athletes – admitted Hanna Zdanowska, the president of Lodz.
The deadline for applications for the event is 15 April, but most of the competitors have already confirmed their participation. European Universities Games is not only a competition, but also an opportunity for international exchange of experience.
– I am proud that the European Universities Games are taking place in Poland, all the more so. It is an emotional event for me as it takes place in my own country. This is my last term of office. This makes me all the more grateful to the President and the Rector that I will be able to conclude my mission with such a splendid event. I am convinced that it will bring numerous benefits to Lodz University of Technology and the city – assured Adam Roczek, EUSA President.
The unveiling of the clock was also attended by EUG 2022 ambassadors, who themselves can’t wait for the event to start.
– Sport deserves to be experienced, the positive feelings of excitement flow to us, but also from us. Great events attract these emotions like a magnet. If we want to receive such a dose of endorphins, we cannot miss it this event – both as athletes and fans, admitted Adam Kszczot, indoor world champion and multiple European runner-up in the 800m, the ambassador of the event.
– The European Universities Games include so many disciplines that I am convinced there will be something for everyone. After the pandemic which partially blocked sport, we are certainly thirsty for great emotions, and this event will certainly provide us with a huge amount of them – added Martyna Grajber, a volleyball player of ŁKS Commercecon Lodz, the club-ambassador of EUG Lodz 2022
Such a huge project could not take place without the support of volunteers. About one thousand people from all over the world will help run the event. The European Universities Games (EUG) is the largest multisport academic celebration in Europe. It is the flagship event of the European University Sport Association (EUSA), held every two years in various European cities. The Lodz EUG 2022 will be held from 17 to 30 July.