The opening ceremony of the 53rd World Medical Tennis Championships took place at the Basic Medical Science Center (EOK). In his welcome speech, Rector Dr. Béla Merkely stressed that exercise not only played a major role in prevention and health preservation, but it also taught teamwork and endurance. As he added:
Both are key to medicine and health science. That is why it is important that academic life and sports are almost inseparable and intertwined, forming a true synergy at Semmelweis University.
Joanna Szafranek, the outgoing President of the World Medical Tennis Society (WMTS), gave a special welcome to the doctors from Australia, who were competing for the first time in the history of the World Medical Tennis Championships. Csilla Sütő, Secretary General of the Hungarian Tennis Federation, spoke about the history of tennis in Hungary and of the federation. Dr. Ákos Pethes, the current President of the Hungarian Medical Tennis Society, explained how the Hungarian Tennis Federation came into contact with the WMTS in the late 1970s. János Borsay, the first President of the Hungarian Medical Tennis Society and the first Hungarian representative in the WMTS, added that he had organized the first Hungarian medical tennis championships, and that Hungarian competitors first participated in the 1986 WMTS World Championships in Rome.
After the performance of the Semmelweis University cheerleading team, Attila Sávolt, Technical Director of the Hungarian Tennis Federation, explained the rules of the tournament, introduced the referees, and talked about the program of social events. The evening ended with the much-anticipated official draw ceremony.
More than 350 players from 25 countries gathered to compete in 8 women’s and 10 men’s categories. In doubles, there were 7 women’s, 9 men’s, and 8 mixed doubles age groups. Besides that, players also contested in the Nations’ Cup. Almost 500 medals were awarded. The World Championships were open not only to doctors of medicine (including dental doctors), but also to their family members in a separate category. The matches took place at two venues, the Park Tennis Club and the Muskétás Tennis Center. Hungary won gold in the men’s Nations’ Cup, while Márton Szappanos took first place in the Men’s Singles Open. In total, Hungarian players – including doubles with at least one player being Hungarian – won 13 gold medals, as well as numerous silver and bronze medals.
In the prestigious competition, which was held for the 53rd time, Rector Dr. Béla Merkely also competed in doubles alongside dentist Dr. Zsombor Tornyosi, but in the end their Polish opponents were victorious. Dr. Béla Merkely was unable to attend the continuation of the competition and the closing ceremony as he travelled to Paris as the co-chairperson of the World Aquatics Sports Medicine Committee to assess the availability of appropriate medical care for aquatic athletes at the Olympics, assist the Hungarian athletes, and contribute to medical quality assurance at the Olympic Games with his team, including the sports medicine doctors of Semmelweis University.
In parallel with the 53rd World Medical Tennis Championships, an English-language scientific conference on sports medicine, the Congress of the WMTS, was held at Semmelweis University’s Városmajor Heart and Vascular Center with the participation of renowned Hungarian and international speakers. At the opening of the conference, Rector Dr. Béla Merkely emphasized that at the new Sports Cardiology Center of the Heart and Vascular Center, which was inaugurated last year, complex sports cardiology examinations are performed on around 1,000 to 1,500 athletes every year. As an example, he mentioned the most recent equipment of the center, a semi-supine bicycle exercise echocardiographic spiroergometric system, which enables the testing of athletes with coronary anomalies, among other things. After his welcome address, the rector gave a talk in which he briefly described the history, structure, and successes of the university, as well as its activities in cardiology and sports cardiology. Dr. Hajnalka Vágó, Head of the Department of Sports Medicine, said that the presentations at the conference covered three main topics: advances in sports cardiology; emergencies in sports medicine, innovations in accident prevention and rehabilitation; sports nutrition and sports genetics; and, in the final session of the conference, scientific abstracts were presented. Speakers from Hungary were joined by eminent international experts such as Dr. Domenico Cianflone, Head of the Department of Specialized Cardiac Rehabilitation at the Ospedale San Raffaele Clinical Research Institute in Milan and Associate Professor in Cardiovascular Diseases at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University; Dr. Jürgen Scharhag, Head of the Department of Sports Medicine at the University of Vienna; and Dr. Alessandro Zorzi from the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Sciences at the University of Padua.
The World Medical Tennis Championships also featured a variety of social events, including the Night of the Nations at Danube Cruise, where participants were able to enjoy a cruise on the Danube and admire the panoramic view of Budapest, as well as a gala dinner. At the closing ceremony, moderator Erik Siklós thanked the organizers and sponsors for their support, Rector Dr. Béla Merkely addressed the participants in a video message, and finally the awards were presented to the players.
Gallery
The Hungarian Medical Tennis Society (MOTT) had won the World Medical Tennis Society’s (WMTS) tender to organize the 53rd WMTS Congress and Championships, making this the third time after 1990 and 1998 that Hungary has hosted the international sporting event. The Hungarian Tennis Federation (MTSZ) and MOTT had signed a cooperation agreement with Semmelweis University, the university’s sports club, and Semmelweis Premium to organize the event.
Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Bálint Barta, Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
