Hundreds of athletes expected at the international SELL Student Games in Vierumäki

Registration for the SELL Student Games is now open. “The games are a low-threshold competition open to all university students and there are no age or performance limits,” says event specialist Markku Rantahalvari of the Finnish Student Sports Federation.

“In addition to Baltic athletes, we are expecting participants mainly from European universities. Traditionally Asia has also been represented in the games. We are particularly hoping to see students from Sweden and Norway this year,” says Rantahalvari.

There will be 13 sports at Vierumäki. In addition to SELL medals, students will compete for Finnish national student championships in almost every sport of the event. The games will also serve as a qualifying event for the European Student Championships in 2026. The sports are listed at the end of this news release.

The most fun sports event of the year

Known as the most fun sports event of the year, the SELL Games are all about sport and having fun. Since there are no performance limits, both Olympic athletes and newcomers have competed in the same series.

In addition to the Finnish Sports Institute and the Finnish Student Sports Federation, the games are organised by Vierumäki Sports Oy and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. Most of the volunteers and officials involved in the organisation are students. The Secretary General of the games, Oona Aronen, has also studied sports at the Sports Institute and Haaga-Helia.

“The SELL Games are a great opportunity for students to get hands-on experience on event production, organising different sports competitions, games communication and other aspects of hosting big events. The surroundings, venues and services at Vierumäki are excellent for a student event that is all about the joy of movement, the excitement of competition, and having fun,” Aronen says.

The Games are hosted annually in turns by Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, now for the ninth time in Finland, of which five games have taken place in the 2000s. The tradition, which began in 1923, was put on hold by the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War and revived in 1998. The previous games held in Finland took place in Tampere in 2016. The 2020 Games in Lahti had to be cancelled at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the event restrictions it caused.

Sports and preliminary schedule

3x3 basketball, Saturday 17.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
beachvolley, Saturday to Sunday 17–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
football, men 11x11, Friday to Sunday 16–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
football, women 7x7, Saturday to Sunday 17–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
judo, Saturday 17.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
volleyball, Friday to Sunday 16–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
padel, Saturday 17.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
table tennis, Saturday to Sunday 17.–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
floorball, Friday to Sunday 16–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
chess, Friday to Saturday 16–17.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
badminton, Friday to Saturday 16–17.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
orienteering, Saturday to Sunday 17–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)
powerlifting, Saturday 17.5.
athletic, track, Friday to Sunday 16–18.5. (Finnish Student Championships)

Registration:
Vierumaki.fi

More information
Oona Aronen, Secretary General, SELL Student Games, oona.aronen@vierumaki.fi
Markku Rantahalvari, Finnish Student Sports Federation, events and training specialist, markku.rantahalvari@oll.fi, 044 7800 217