and the city of Split (EUG2028),
and the University of Granada
(EUG2030). Representatives
from the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU
World University Games and the
University of Aveiro (Portugal)
also participated.
Over three days, the Observer
Program, moderated by
Natasa Jankovic, provided a
comprehensive overview of the
Games’ organization.
The welcoming message was
addressed by Adam Roczek,
President of EUSA, and Agnes
Ancic Valkai, FISU EC Member
and Director of International
Relations of MEFS, who greeted
the present representatives of
the Observer Programme. They
both extended a warm welcome
and pointed out the importance
of the games in terms of building
community and the legacy that
the Games leave to the student-
athlete community and university
sport in general.
On the official start of the
program, first to have the floor
was Matjaz Pecovnik, Secretary
General of EUSA, who addressed
all participants with an inspiring
presentation about the history
of EUSA and the philosophy
driving the organization of its
sports events, joint projects and
publications. He referred to past
experiences and knowledge
gained from organizing the
past 6 editions of the European
Universities Games and many
more European Universities
sports events.
From EUSA’s side, Sports
Manager Miha Zvan provided
participants with technical
information regarding the
lifecycle of organizing an EUSA
sports event. He illustrated the
timeline of the bidding procedure,
providing useful details regarding
all the different stages of the
process, as well as explaining the
role of the EUSA Technical and
Evaluation Commissions.The observers got information
about EUSA minimum
organizational requirements on
the standards to be followed
regarding accommodation,
catering, transportation, medical
assistance, sports venues, and all
the basic aspects connected to
the sports competitions and the
logistics of athletes and officials
during the EUG. Useful insights
regarding rules and regulations
referring to all technical aspects
of the sports competitions were
provided, as defined according to
EUSA operational documents.Representatives from the
EUG2024 OC, Laszlo Vegh, Mate
Nagyistok and Gyorgy Kovacs
had a presentation illustrating
some of the key aspects related
to the experience of the process
of organizing this year’s edition of
the Games in Debrecen-Miskolc.
They provided details related to
the various roles and functional
areas of the organization, the
accreditation process, financial
matters, transportation and
accommodation issues, safety
measures, as well as facilities
and sports venue management.The morning program was
then followed in the afternoon
by a collective guided tour
of the sports venues and
competitions currently taking
place in Miskolc, including
Judo, Kickboxing, Volleyball
and Chess. The observers had
thus the opportunity to get a
first approach to the involving
atmosphere of the EUG2024
in Miskolc, also taking part
in the Opening Ceremony in
the evening before moving to
Debrecen for the second day of
the programme.On 13th of July, the attendees
of the Observer Program,
participated at the EUSA Forum
in Debrecen, continuing their
visit to the main facilities, part
of the European Universities
Games 2024. The Observer
Program team had the chance to
visit accomodation, volunteering
center, accreditation center, as
well as the sports venues and
sports matches.The third and last day of the
programme, held again in
Miskolc, has begun with a very
fruitful “reflections” session,
with several roundtables
and Q&A moments. The
presentations that followed
included knowledge sharing
from specific departments:
Protocol and Hospitality,
Transportation, Marketing, Media
and Communication, covering
important details, procedures,
challenges and best practices.The daily programme then
continued in the afternoon with
a final collective guided tour
of most of the venues in the
University of Miskolc Campus: the
observers had the chance to visit
the accreditation centre, fun and
catering zone, accommodation
buildings, volunteer centre and
media centre.The Observer Programme
offered a unique chance for
those involved in future European
Universities Games to see the
event firsthand. Participants
gained a deep understanding of
the Games’ scale, complexity,
and how everything works
together. It also provided a space
for learning, sharing ideas, and
building connections with EUSA
staff and others involved in the
Games.EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS ASSOCIATION YEAR MAGAZINE 2024-2025^65