This competition was an opportunity to upgrade student accommodation in Rijeka and Zagreb and build on the good experience from the 1987 Univerzijada held in Zagreb
Croatia will host the largest multi-sport event since its independence in Zagreb and Rijeka – the European University Games (EUG) from July 12th to 25th. With only 19 days to go, Organisation Committee President Zrinko Čustonja and EUG Sports Director Danica Bilić held a press conference to give updates on preparations, as HINA reports on June 24, 2016.
“Only 19 days to go to the opening ceremony, but the first participants of the third university games are expected in Rijeka and Zagreb in 15 days. Thanks to the organisers who number around 7,000, with around 2,000 volunteers, we can already say we have secured everything for the competitions in 21 sports as well as for swimming and table tennis competitions for disabled students,” said Čustonja on Friday, expressing his hope the Games will raise the level of quality of student sports in Croatia.
Čustonja reminded that Zagreb was host to the Univerzijada 29 years ago, during which many buildings were constructed or renovated, while the EUG are a great opportunity to repeat such practice. Namely, this means student accommodation in the Stjepan Radić and Cvjetno Naselje areas in Zagreb that were renovated and the completely new Trsat campus in Rijeka, financed mostly from EU funds.
“We now know the EUG will see 4,781 student players, plus coaches and other officials raise this number to 5,786 persons coming from 403 universities from 41 European countries,” said Bilić. According to the words of the former best European female basketball player, Croatia will have the most participants, 750 of them from 16 universities and higher schools.
“From the European countries we have 410 coming from the United Kingdom, 400 from Germany, 330 from France, 320 from Portugal, 280 from Turkey, 230 from Spain, 200 from Slovenia, but also 48 athletes from Israel, two from Iceland to compete in taekwondo and three swimmers from Malta,” Billić added.
Čustonja mentioned an especially memorable event will be the opening ceremony on July 13th at 21h in the Mladost stadium in Zagreb, directed by Krešimir Dolenčić and open to all, while most of the students, around 4,000 will be housed in the Stjepan Radić campus, and around 800 in the Rijeka campus.
