We celebrated freedom and democracy not only with discussions, music, and singing at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, but also with sports. On Tuesday, November 18, a badminton and table tennis tournament was held at the LOTO Arena (NTC Košice). Sixty-three young athletes participated, including 41 male and 22 female students. Badminton was slightly more popular, with 37 participants out of the total number of participants. The athletes were personally supported by Prof. MUDr. Daniel Pella, PhD., Rector of UPJŠ, and the event organizers, Mgr. Alena Buková, PhD., university associate professor, and Mgr. Dávid Kaško, PhD., from the Institute of Physical Education and Sports (ÚTVŠ) UPJŠ, doc. PhDr. Viliam Knap, PhD., MHA, MPH (Clinic of Physiatry, Balneology and Medical Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, UPJŠ and UNLP Košice) and Mgr. Jozef Andrejčák, PhD. (Department of Public Policy and Public Administration Theory, Faculty of Public Administration, UPJŠ). After the matches, Alena Buková, director of ÚTVŠ at UPJŠ, presented a total of 12 valuable prizes to the best athletes in each category, who received, in addition to the Rector’s Award, sports equipment, ion drinks, and gym memberships at ÚTVŠ UPJŠ.
| BADMINTON | TABLE TENIS |
| Men | Men |
| 1. Michal Kundrik | 1. Daniel Balog |
| 2. Mansesh Gowda Byaladakere Gangadhara | 2. Tomáš Čepček |
| 3. Samuel Ferko | 3. Gabriele Bencetti |
| Women | Women |
| 1. Katka Csonková | 1. Jana Terezková |
| 2. Lucia Baková | 2. Emma Dudová |
| 3. Ivana Timkanič | 3. Mária Petrušková |
Our students showed that they are just as good at studying as they are at sports. All matches in the tournament took place in a friendly atmosphere and in the spirit of fair play. We sincerely congratulate all the winners.
We would like to thank the event organizers and the student cafeterias for providing filling refreshments for the athletes.
