Tartu will host XXVI SELL GAMES

The XXVI SELL (Suomi-Eesti-Latvija-Lietuva) Student Sports Games will take place in Tartu, Estonia from May 21st to May 23rd, 2010.

Competitions will be held in 11 different sports: athletics, table-tennis, basketball, chess, floorball, judo, futsal, swimming, volleyball, wrestling and weightlifting. In addition to the sports program an exhibition on students’ sports and other events, as well as an entertainment program will take place. The games are open to universities from all over the world.

Organisers look forward to host minimum 1,500 student athletes from 70 universities and 10 countries. Competitions are open for students and former students who have obtained their academic degree or diploma in 2009. There are no limitations concerning the size of the delegation. General registration for universities will be open until January 15, deadline for quantitative registration is February 21 and for nominative registration April 21. Information and registration: www.sellstudentgames.com

The honoured patron of the 2010 Tartu Student Games is the President of Estonia, Mr Toomas Hendrik Ilves and sports patron is beach volleyball player Kristjan Kais.

Kais, who has earlier participated in SELL games as a student-athlete, told that he wanted to encourage studing sportsmen to exert themselves on the studing field as well. Kais is, besides his successful athletics career, a doctor and lecturer at the University of Tartu.

Organizer of the Games is the Estonian Academic Sports Federation. The president of the Federation, Ants Veetõusme, told that the SELL Student Games are an outstanding opportunity for student-athletes to meet other studing athletes and expose their achievements publicly. He also thought that the Games have grown already so big that it can be called a mini-universiade, but still, the level of the athletes is very varied.

The history of the SELL Student Games dates back to 1923. Tartu hosted these Games recently in 2006. The SELL Games are endorsed by FISU.