More than ever before, thirteen sports and more than a thousand participants will take part in the Hungarian National University and College Championships Festival, or MEFOB Festival, in Győr. From 30 April to 3 May, Széchenyi István University in Győr will host the biggest student sports event in Hungary. Between the competitions, of course, there will be social programmes and evening parties.
At the MEFOB Fest, a joint event of Széchenyi István University and the Hungarian University and College Sports Association, in eleven sports – handball, futsal, volleyball, table tennis, ergometer rowing, rowing, dragon boating, ultimate frisbee, chess, water polo and cheerleading national championships, while in arm wrestling and e-sport a cup is organised for students of higher education institutions in Hungary between 30 April and 3 May. As well as promoting sport, the event is also about community-building, with recreational sports activities and evening parties.
In recent years, Széchenyi István University has built a European-standard sports infrastructure on its campus in Győr. The Győr Municipal University Sports Hall, the University Gymnasium and the University Sports Park, which includes a basketball court, artificial turf football pitch, running track, beach volleyball courts and teqball table, are located here. Students are offered sports opportunities by the Széchenyi István University Sports Association (SZESE), founded in 1973 and operating 13 sports clubs, the dual career model programme developed to support elite athletes – offering the possibility of studying and graduating in parallel with elite sports – and the very close relationship with professional sports clubs, also indicated by the UNI Győr brand name. This is the sports environment in which Széchenyi University welcomes students.
On Tuesday 30 April, the sporting competitions will start in the morning and the opening ceremony will officially welcome the participants of the MEFOB Fest at 17.30 on the evening of the first day in the University Hall. Competitors and fans can enjoy the four days of action at a variety of venues in Győr. The university water polo championship will be held in the Aqua Sports Centre, the ergometer competition and the scandercup in the lobby of the New Knowledge Space building on the Győr campus, handball, volleyball and futsal in the Győr Municipal University Sports Hall and the Gymnasium, and the cheerleading competition in the University Hall. The ultimate frisbee will be played on the artificial turf pitch in Vámosszabadi, the table tennis MEFOB in the sports hall of the Apáczai Faculty, the rowing on the Mosoni-Duna river (Aranypart I), the dragon boat races on Aranypart II, the chess in the ground floor of the Management Campus building and the e-sport cup in the e-sport hall of the university. The programmes for each sport can be found here.
Zalán Lang, one of the ambassadors of the MEFOB Fest, captain of the Győr men’s handball team, which after ten years returned to the top league, at last year’s MEFOB.
„Of course, when it comes to a home tournament, everyone is talking about the chances. Knowing our traditions, we expect medals in handball and rowing. In women’s futsal, which is a new sport for us, we also have a chance of winning the championship, as our team is strengthened by ETO national team players. Besides, I am confident that in addition to the fierce competition, the more than a thousand students who will be visiting the festival will have a good time, make new contacts and have memorable experiences,” said Dr. Tamás Gyömörei, Director of the Sports and Recreation Centre of the institution and President of the Sports Association of Széchenyi István University (SZESE).
The ambassadors of the MEFOB Fest in Győr are the students of the host Széchenyi István University – Dalma Sebestyén, Olympic swimmer, Bence Szabó, World and European silver medallist rower and Zalán Lang, captain of the Győr men’s handball team. The three outstanding athletes encourage everyone to be part of an unforgettable event where amateur and professional university athletes compete together and represent the common cause of sport.
