EUSA Magazine 2019-20

EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS ASSOCIATION YEAR MAGAZINE 2019-20^112

7. UNIVERSITY SPORT IN EUROPE AND BEYOND

INTERNATIONAL

UNIVERSITY SPORTS

FEDERATION (FISU)

As the International University Sports Federation embarked

upon 2019, the 70-year-old federation found itself at a

crossroads. On the one hand, it had come a long way since

the first International University Sport Week in 1949 and

was celebrating seven decades of driving the university

sports movement forward. On the other, the year marked

many firsts that set the stage for a new and exciting future.

The first big FISU sports event

of the year was the Krasnoyarsk

2019 Winter Universiade, which

set a record of sorts with the

participation of 58 countries

and nearly 1 700 athletes.

In Siberia, ski orienteering

made its Universiade debut

and the United Arab Emirates

participated in the winter sport

spectacle for the first time. It

was also the first time ever that

good wishes came from high

above, as celebrated cosmonaut

Oleg Kononenko spoke to the

athletes from outer space

during the opening ceremony.

From the 5 000 smiling

volunteers to the nearly

flawless performances of the

gold medallists, the 29th edition

of the Winter Universiade will go

down in history for the emotions

it incited.

FISU President Mr Oleg Matytsin

evoked these passions when

he thanked the Krasnoyarsk

citizens by saying, “the days that

we spent here, in the heart of

Siberia, will always remain in

our memory!”