With just over three weeks to go before the official opening ceremony of the World University Games, to be held in Kazan, Russia, the Malta University Sports Club (MUSC) announ-ced that, for the first time since the 1990s, a contingent of elite University of Malta student athletes will be competing in these games.

With the participation of almost 13,000 athletes from all over the world, the games are a university-based version of the Olympics.

The MUSC will send a contingent of seven athletes, two officials and a coach.

The three Maltese athletes in the track and field disciplines are 2013 GSSE medallists Andy Grech, Matthew Croker and Rebecca Sarè.

The swimmers, Andrea Agius, Edward Caruana Dingli and Daniel Galea, hold national records and are certainly some of the most promising talents Malta has to offer.

Weightlifter Rodmar Pulis, who recently won a silver medal at the European Small Nations Tournament, is also in the team.

“Despite the high standards of the University Games, the MUSC has no doubt that our athletes will achieve promising results,” the MUSC said in a statement.

The World University Games, including the traditional open-ing ceremony, will be shown on Eurosport between July 5 and 17.

MUSC thanked EuroSport (Malta) and Kinetika Gym for their support.