Hungary delivered its best-ever performance at the 32nd Summer World University Games, earning a total of 18 medals – 10 silver and 8 bronze. Held over a ten-day period in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region, the international multi-sport event saw 178 Hungarian athletes compete, representing 46 different universities and colleges. Among them were seven students from the University of Szeged: Renáta Beregszászi and Réka Kling (athletics), Nikolett Ágnes Sági (judo), Bálint and Balázs Pápai (badminton), and Botond Bóbis and Benedek Danka (water polo).
The World University Games – also known as the Universiade – have been a fixture of the international sporting calendar since 1959. Like the Olympics, the Games are held on a different continent each time and typically take place every two years, with separate summer and winter events. Hungary has had the honor of hosting the Games once: in 1965, when Hungarian athletes achieved a remarkable feat by topping the medal table – ahead of both the Soviet Union and the United States.
This year, six German cities – Bochum, Duisburg, Essen, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Hagen, and Berlin – served as host venues for approximately 8,500 university athletes from around the world. Representing 150 countries, these students competed across 18 sports. Alongside this diversity and scale, the significance of the Games continues to grow, with an increasing number of sports now offering Olympic or World Championship qualification opportunities based on athletes’ performances at this event.
“At the University of Szeged, the World University Games – and competitive sport in general – are not just about athletic achievement,” says György Fekete, Operational Director of the Cluster for Third Mission Developments at the University’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Development and Innovation (IKIKK). “They play an important role in strengthening our university community, deepening international connections, and fostering the personal development of our students. Sport embodies values such as perseverance, teamwork, and fair play – all of which resonate with our academic and research mission, as well as our third mission objectives. We are proud of our students who succeed not only in their studies, but also on the international stage – enhancing the University’s international reputation.”
The University of Szeged’s athletes put in an impressive showing at the international event. Nikolett Ágnes Sági earned an outstanding 7th place finish in judo in the women’s 78 kg weight class. Meanwhile, water polo players Botond Bóbis and Benedek Danka – both members of the SZVE Goodwill Pharma Fortacell team – were part of the Hungarian university water polo team, which finished just shy of the podium in 4th place.
Original Hungarian article by Sára Bisztriczki
Photos: Facebook/Egyetemi Sport (UniSport Hungary)
