That was the 2026 University Sports Olympics
- Jochen Lessau
- Jun 22
- 3 min read
On Tuesday 16 June, the University Sports Centre hosted the 12th edition of the University Sports Olympics. For the past six years, the Team Challenge has been regarded as the main summer sporting event – for both students and staff. This year, 44 teams comprising around 245 participants were set to take part – a record! Each of the 44 teams had to tackle 12 creative and, in some cases, demanding challenge stations this year. The USZ combined tried-and-tested stations such as the Skiwalk, Biathlon Run and goal-wall shooting with new activities such as bull riding, matchstick throwing and cricket.
To the great delight of all the participants and the staff at the University Sports Centre, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Emes, was able to make time for the event; she welcomed the athletes and opened the event punctually at 3.30 pm.
Each team, comprising a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 participants, was given their own scorecard, and the challenges could begin. At each station, the aim was to score a maximum of 10 points and finish the preliminary round with the highest possible total score.
After the preliminary round and completing the 12 stations, the team Käseland – which dominates the event every year – was in the lead, 8 seconds ahead of the team from the ‘Alte Elisabeth’ Academic Sports Club and a further 11 seconds ahead of the Fünfk(r)ampf team. The team in last place at that stage had to start the final relay 72 seconds behind the leaders. Sadly, under the immense pressure to perform, our arm-strength machine broke down, meaning that the Ergopower station could not, unfortunately, be included in the scoring. As was the case last year, however, a very special relay race awaited in the grand final, which was set to shake up the overall standings considerably. All teams had to start the race based on their time deficits to the leaders, using the Gundersen method. The individual egg-and-nose-stop race was followed by a two-person race with legs tied together and a balloon in the mouth. Finally, the result involved a simple maths problem to locate the hidden spot of each numbered team ball on the grounds of the University Sports Centre. So it was entirely possible that, in the end, it wouldn’t be the physically fittest but the sharpest mathematicians – or even the most creative guessers – who would cross the finish line as winners.
*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***
FINAL
Unlike last year, Team Käseland didn’t let victory slip from their grasp this time. With a commanding lead and relying more on intuition than on puzzle-solving, they guessed where their ball was hidden and were the first to stuff their team ball into the scoring box. The other two places on the podium, however, were snatched by two teams who made huge gains in position. The perennial participants, Team Grubenhunte, managed to climb 12 places and finished in an outstanding second place. Team Error 404: Kondition nicht gefunden made an even bigger leap up the rankings: from 25th after the preliminary round to 3rd place!
The overall standings
THANK YOU
A huge thank you goes to the event’s partners and supporters, without whom the Unisport Olympics would not be possible. We are very grateful to our two photographers, Christoph Scharm and Clemens Müller (drone), for the many wonderful moments captured in their photos! Our long-standing collaboration with TUBAF’s health partner, Techniker Krankenkasse, enables us to focus on providing healthy and nutritious catering. Thanks to Ehrmann Molkerei, we were once again able to distribute a good 400 puddings and 400 protein shakes to our participants. The ‘Freunde und Förderer’ association and the Student Council (StuRa) of TU Freiberg have been supporting our event financially and in kind for years – thank you! This year, the Freiberger Brewery (GSM) supported us with a perfectly stocked beer trolley and some gift boxes for the winning teams. Once again, the fantastic shopping vouchers from REWE Kaden and Kaufland on Häuersteig were a huge help – thank you!
A big thank you also goes to all our other supporters: Studentenwerk | Döner Bosporus | Ruck-Sachse | Haema | Intersport Noack for the fantastic trophies
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