The student athletes will compete across 21 different sports at the third edition of the Games, with previous editions having been held in Cordoba in 2012 and Rotterdam in 2014.

Badminton, basketball, futsal, football, handball, tennis, table tennis and volleyball are the compulsory European Universities Games sports which will be contested.

Organisers, who are being supported by the Croatian Academic Sports Federation, also opted to add beach volleyball, basketball 3x3, bridge, chess, golf, judo, rowing, karate, sport climbing, taekwondo and rugby sevens.

Two Para-sports were also included on the programme, with athletes due to participate in swimming and table tennis.

“We know the EUG will see 4,781 student players, plus coaches and other officials to raise this number to 5,786 persons coming from 403 universities from 41 European countries,” Danica Bilić, European Universities Games sport director, told Croatia’s HINA news agency.

“From the European countries we have 410 coming from the United Kingdom, 400 from Germany, 330 from France, 320 from Portugal, 280 from Turkey, 230 from Spain, 200 from Slovenia, but also 48 athletes from Israel, two from Iceland to compete in taekwondo and three swimmers from Malta.”

As hosts, Croatia are expected to have the largest number of athletes, with around 750 due to compete, representing 16 universities.

It has been claimed that the Games has brought about improvements in the standard of student accommodation in both host cities, as well as aiding the sports venues.

Around 2,000 volunteers are helping to stage the event, which is due to take place until July 26.

Basketball, chess, karate, rowing, rugby sevens and water polo competition has already begun today in Croatia, with the opening ceremony tomorrow.