Semmelweis University’s teams have not only won on home turf in recent years but also claimed victory at last year’s 52nd Medic’s Cup, held in Szeged. This year, the competition took place in Pécs, where Semmelweis once again claimed the Medic’s Cup. In this long-standing annual competition, athletes from the four Hungarian medical and health sciences universities (Semmelweis, as well as the Universities of Debrecen, Pécs, and Szeged) compete against one another. This year, matches were held in five events: handball, basketball, volleyball, five-a-side soccer, and water polo.
Semmelweis University not only won the 53rd edition of the Medic’s Cup in the overall points competition, but its teams also finished on top of the podium in both the men’s and women’s overall categories.
The university’s women’s basketball, soccer, and water polo teams, as well as the men’s volleyball, basketball, and water polo teams finished in first place in the two-day competition. The women’s volleyball and handball teams, as well as the men’s soccer and handball teams finished in second place. Over the two days, the university’s athletes won 21 of their 30 matches, lost five, and tied four.
“The last time the university’s teams played in Pécs was in 2022; back then, in a very close contest, we won the basketball game – and with it, the Medic’s Cup – with a three-pointer scored in the final second. This time, too, we were able to perform so well in a very balanced, strong field, and in every event in which we didn’t finish first, we stood on the second step of the podium in both the men’s and women’s competitions,” Dr. Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, told our website, giving his assessment of the results. “Every team played at a very high level; in addition to outstanding individual performances, we also saw excellent teamwork, and thus we secured the top spot in the overall points competition with a convincing lead,” he added.
The rector emphasized that the importance of the Medic’s Cup had grown significantly over the past five years; accordingly, the university – including university leaders responsible for individual sports, the chancellor, vice-rectors, and deans – was paying special attention to the teams’ development. He also noted that they had succeeded in finding the right coaches, who had significantly contributed to the improvement of the teams’ performance, and the approach of allowing participation in university sports throughout the entire duration of studies – and not just for Hungarian students – seemed to be taking root.
There are international students in almost every team; in fact, they make up the majority of the women’s soccer team, and the top scorer in the women’s soccer tournament was a German student. – Dr. Béla Merkely
According to the rector, another factor contributing to this success was that it had become a tradition for the university to organize an evening for the athletes on the opening day of every tournament to get into the right mood, where students were asked to limit their partying to just a few hours so they could perform well in their matches. “This worked because we basically won every match on Saturday,” the rector said. He also added that in return, the university organized the Cup Winners’ Gala Evening every year – including this May – where teams and athletes who performed outstandingly in the Medic’s Cup and the Hungarian University Championships (MEFOB) were celebrated, and graduating students were bid farewell.
“Another factor contributing to the success was that the Medic’s Cup is important not only to the athletes but also to the university’s leadership and the Semmelweis community, and besides the hosts from Pécs, we had the largest on-site group of supporters,” added Dr. Béla Merkely. He also noted that visitors to Pécs had been able to participate in a well-organized sporting event with a great atmosphere. At Saturday’s closing ceremony, following the announcement of the results and the presentation of the awards recognizing outstanding athletic achievements, Semmelweis University took over the baton from Pécs.
Next year, from April 9 to 11, 2027, we will host the Medic’s Cup in Budapest – with the natural expectation that we will win it again, and that Semmelweis’s name will once again be inscribed on the cup next year. – Dr. Béla Merkely
“Over the past two days, there were both easier matches and serious challenges, where the result came down to a single point. In any case, we managed to win in a strong field of competitors in a friendly atmosphere, and our athletes across all sports were able to showcase their skills,” Kornélia Várszegi, Director of Semmelweis University’s Physical Education and Sports Center, told our website. As she noted, one of the exciting and challenging aspects of the Medic’s Cup is that the composition of the teams at the universities changes every year, so it is always a surprise to see how well prepared and how strong the opponents are that Semmelweis athletes will face. “For Semmelweis’s teams, preparing for the Medic’s Cup is one of the most important things; you could say they train for it all year round,” the director added. This year, the team from Pécs proved to be the toughest opponent.
According to Kornélia Várszegi, the university managed to win the Medic’s Cup thanks to both the well-integrated teams and the coaches’ persistent and high-quality professional work. She mentioned as an example that both the women’s and men’s handball teams had improved significantly compared to last year.
Growing international participation in the Medic’s Cup
When asked about the growing number of international students on the team, Kornélia Várszegi emphasized that the university’s goal was to encourage more students in the English and German programs to participate in the Medic’s Cup. Of the entire team, 20 were international students, including five on the men’s basketball team, four on the women’s soccer team, and three each on the men’s handball and volleyball teams. There are many reasons for this increased activity: For example, coaches can give instructions in English, and players can communicate with each other in a foreign language. In addition, international team players at the Medic’s Cup receive free medical care and rehabilitation from Semmelweis University if they sustain a sports injury. They are also eligible for a sports scholarship.
Real-time updates on match results were available on the website and app created by the host, the University of Pécs, and several matches were also streamed simultaneously on the university’s YouTube channels.
Gallery
“Including the athletes, Semmelweis University had the largest student contingent again this year, with nearly a thousand people participating in this edition of the Medic’s Cup,” said Imre Richárd Nagy, President of the Students’ Union (HÖK). According to HÖK, in addition to the 50 ultras, more than 600 students cheered on the teams at the venue. As he put it, the audience saw well-integrated Semmelweis teams, and signs of the conscious preparation they had done were also evident. He highlighted that the women’s soccer team had played in a highly skilled and composed way.
In keeping with tradition, the sports competitions were accompanied by concerts and events aimed at bringing the student communities of the four universities closer together. However, there was also a change this year, with the cheerleaders’ performance taking place on Saturday afternoon rather than during the closing ceremony.
Melinda Katalin Kiss, Judit Dőtsch
Translation: Dr. Balázs Csizmadia
Photos by Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University
