On Wednesday 13 May, the University Campus Bohunice hosted a full day of sporting, cultural and educational activities for students and staff of Masaryk University as part of MUNI DAY.
The programme started early in the morning with individual sports lessons and team competitions open to registered participants. Visitors also filled the accompanying events organised by the faculties, including tours of SIMU, the laboratories of the Faculty of Science, the Anatomical Museum and CEITEC. University libraries or MUNI LIB, the MU Language Centre, Open Science MU and student associations also introduced their activities at information stands.
“Participants in this year’s edition appreciated the move of MUNI DAY closer to the Faculty of Sports Studies. The area felt more connected and helped strengthen the community atmosphere of the event. We are happy that MUNI DAY offers something for everyone and truly connects the whole university. It is no longer only about sport – people also showed huge interest in the tours, lectures and workshops, almost all of which were completely full,” says one of the organisers, Kateřina Pešková.
The sporting programme peaked in the afternoon with the CITY vs. CAMPUS floorball derby. The CITY team brought together representatives from five faculties in the city centre along with the rectorate, while CAMPUS consisted of players from five faculties based around the university campus. “The goal is simple – score one more goal than the opponent,” joked Rector Martin Bareš, who also captained the CITY team, before the match. “We want to win again,” replied Jan Cacek, dean of the Faculty of Sports Studies and captain of the CAMPUS team.
CITY vs. CAMPUS 3:2
After the ceremonial face-off by Alexandr Paťava, winner of two medals at this year’s Paralympics, the university rivalry began in earnest on the court. The atmosphere was just as intense in the stands, where fans waved blue and white banners and loudly supported their teams.
The opening stages were relatively cautious, with the goals starting to come only in the second period. Filip Vrána gave CITY the lead and his team stayed ahead for the rest of the game. CITY led 2:0 after two periods, and although CAMPUS gradually reduced the score to 3:2 and made the ending dramatic, they could not find an equaliser. CITY therefore claimed a 3:2 victory and avenged defeats from the previous two editions of the prestigious derby. Adam Lukůvka from the rectorate, who scored twice, was named player of the match for the winning side.
Breaks between periods featured performances by the MUNI majorettes and cheerleaders from the FUKS student association. Another highlight was the appearance of players from the women’s floorball club Bulldogs Brno led by captain Eva Stará. Only days earlier, the team had achieved historic success by winning the Czech Extraliga title. The players also spoke with spectators about the faculties where they study at MU and shared their views on the performances of their amateur university colleagues.
After the floorball match, participants moved outdoors, where Rector Bareš and deans from most faculties attended the announcement of the results of the team badminton and volleyball competitions. The event went on into the evening with live performances by four bands and food stalls and stands serving beer, soft drinks and refreshments. Some visitors stayed active at outdoor stations offering sports such as disc golf, spikeball and lacrosse.
This year, the Film Festival of the Faculty of Informatics at Masaryk University joined MUNI DAY for the first time, attracting audiences in the evening with screenings of short films. “The screenings turned out to be very popular among students, who filled around 250 seat,” notes Pešková.
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