As part of the European Team Cup, university students from 13 European countries will compete in the capital city.
Bratislava will soon come alive with university sports. On the last Monday of September, the capital of Slovakia will host the grand sports event, the European Team Cup, during which students from 13 European countries will compete. There will be 48 sports teams and 400 athletes from 13 countries, right in the Bratislava Kuchajda Lake area. They will compete in three sports: mini-football, 3×3 basketball, and beach volleyball.
The international event will take place from September 25th to 29th. The mini-football tournament includes only the men’s category, while the competitions in beach volleyball and basketball are exclusively for women. All competitive events are focused on students under the age of 25. University students from Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Turkey, Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Spain, Croatia, Slovenia, Estonia, and the host country, Slovakia, will come to Bratislava.
The opening ceremony is scheduled for September 25th at 7:00 PM on Primaciálne Square, and organizers invite the general public to attend. The opening ceremony will feature modern cultural performances as well as exhibitions of all three “small” sports.
During the competition days, not only the participants but also those who visit Kuchajda will have the chance to participate. They have prepared modern activities such as yoga, zumba, jumping, and crossfit, as well as competitions and quizzes. The program for each day starts at 9:00 AM.
“We are organizing an innovative European sports event in Bratislava. This is partly because athletes and the public lost their sports habits during the unfortunate COVID-19 pandemic. At the event, we will try to showcase not only the big sports but also the small formats of these sports. Mini-football, 3×3 basketball, and beach volleyball are sports that are becoming very popular. We believe that the European Team Cup can unite sports and attractive social goals. At the same time, with this event, we want to promote team sports as a tool for good physical, mental, and social health,” explains Peter Králik, the main organizer of the event and the president of the Slovak Mini Football Association.
The combination of sports matches, fitness exercises, activities for the public, supplemented with inspirational demonstrations, truly encourages sports and team bonding. This four-day event aims not only to educate but also to motivate young people towards a healthy lifestyle, framed by a unique friendly atmosphere.