Photo by Danilo Garcia Di Meo
Courtesy of the Archiginnasio Municipal Library, Bologna.
For many, summer is synonymous with holidays. For the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, however, it is also the time when European university sport really gets into full swing. For some years now, July has coincided with the continent’s main event dedicated to student-athletes, an occasion on which CUS Bologna represents the University on the European stage, upholding a tradition of excellence built up over the years.
The 2026 edition of the European Universities Games (EUG), Europe’s most important university multi-sport event, will take place from 18 July to 1 August in Salerno and will involve over 4,500 participants, including student-athletes and staff from hundreds of European universities. The event is held under the auspices of EUSA (European University Sports Association) and is organised by the University of Salerno, CUS Salerno (University Sports Centre) and ADISURC (Campania Regional Agency for the Right to University Education), with the support of FederCUSI and the Campania Region.
An event that effectively builds on last year’s experience in Bologna, when the city hosted the European University Basketball Championships for the first time in Italy. It was a special edition, which opened in the Aula Magna of Santa Lucia and concluded with two prestigious results for the Alma Mater: a gold medal for the women’s team and a silver for the men’s.
Once again this year, the University of Bologna will be one of the key participants in the event, represented by the CUS Bologna teams, who will be competing in various sports.
The first to take to the court will be the women’s volleyball team, who will be in action from 17 to 24 July. Following the last tournament, which brought an end to an extraordinary run of four consecutive European titles, the team is aiming to return to the top step of the podium. Leonardo Palladino will once again be at the helm, assisted by Ilaria Gaiani.
From 19 to 25 July, it will also be time for basketball, a sport in which both the University of Bologna teams will be competing. The women’s team, fresh from an extraordinary run of results including two consecutive European titles and a bronze medal, will be led by the experienced Jordan Losi. At his side, as assistant coach, will be Elisabetta “Bibi” Tassinari, a key figure in the University’s basketball history who is now ready to put her experience at the service of the next generation.
During the same period, the men’s team will also be in action, once again led by Matteo Lolli, the coach behind CUS Bologna’s great successes and a key figure at the Giardini Margherita Playground. He will be joined by Giorgio Broglia, who came through the ranks at CUS and is now part of the coaching staff – a testament to an approach that continues to nurture the skills and experience developed within the University.
Table tennis, meanwhile, will take centre stage from 18 to 22 July, with the events being held at the PalaSele in Eboli, one of the venues selected for the European Universities Games.
Once the events in Salerno have concluded, the European calendar will continue in Tirana, Albania, where combat sports will take centre stage in September.
Taekwondo competitions will take place from 10 to 11 September, with Silvia Lombardi, vice-president of CUS Bologna, acting as head of delegation and Roberto Boghi as team manager. The Bologna team heads into the European event on the back of the excellent results achieved at the recent National University Championships.
From 14 to 15 September, again in Tirana, it will be the turn of judo, with Fabio Fabbroni acting as team manager. A long-standing figure at CUS Bologna, he has been a key figure in the University’s sports programme over the years.
The European Universities Games represent much more than just a sporting competition: they are an opportunity for universities, cultures and educational pathways from across Europe to come together. Once again, the Alma Mater Studiorum will be represented by a delegation that combines sporting talent, academic commitment and a sense of belonging, reaffirming the role of sport as an integral part of the university experience and of the University’s international dimension.
To follow the CUS Bologna delegation during the 2026 European Universities Games, with updates and results, please visit the official social media channels of CUS Bologna and those of the event: eug2026.eu/it.
Press Office – CUS Bologna ASD
