The 2026 European Universities Games have been awarded to the ancient Italian city of Salerno, in southwestern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Along with the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, the 2026 Mediterranean Games in Taranto, and now the European Universities Games in Salerno, Italy will host three international multi-sport competitions in 2026. Additionally, the 2023 European Youth Olympic Winter Festival is slated for Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northeastern Italy, while the 2025 FISU Winter Universiade will take place in the 2006 Olympic city of Turin, adding to a jam-packed schedule of events for Italian sport.
The European University Sports Association (EUSA) selected Salerno for the eighth edition of the event on April 22 and the decision was announced following an Executive Committee meeting in the future Italian host city. It will be the first time the student-athlete multi-sport competition is held in Italy.
Milano Cortina won the right to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, February 6-22, back in July 2019, while the XX Mediterranean Games make their way to Taranto, in the Apulia region of southern Italy, June 13-22. Taranto was unanimously awarded the event in Greece, in August 2019.
International University Sport Federation (FISU) acting president Leonz Eder attended the Salerno award proceedings on behalf of the student-athlete centric organization, along with additional representatives from FISU and EUSA, while local, regional and university authorities joined students at the attribution ceremony held at the University of Salerno. EUSA was represented by its president Adam Roczek, vice-president Haris Pavletic and secretary general Matiaz Pecovnik.
Eder noted and reflected upon the success of the Naples 2019 FISU Summer Universiade leading to the success of the Salerno bid. Italy’s national university sports federation (CUSI) president Antonio Dima highlighted the core values of peace, sharing, cooperation and the balance of winning and losing, that are fundamental to sport, in his speech to fellow stakeholders. An official timeframe for EUG in 2026 has yet to be determined.
In regards to the Taranto Mediterranean Games, some 23 Olympic sports and two non-Olympic ones, including seven team sports are part of the program in June 2026.
While the 2026 European Universities Games are slated as the eighth edition, they will actually be the seventh EUG, considering the 2020 event, scheduled for Belgrade, Serbia had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first edition of the EUG was held in Cordoba, Spain, in July 2012. More than 2,500 student-athletes from 32 nations competed.
The next edition will take place in Lodz, Poland, July 17-30. Approximately 40 countries and 400 universities are expected to compete for medals across 20 sports. Prior to the Salerno 2026 Games, the 2024 edition is scheduled for Debrecan-Miskolc in Hungary.
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