2011 SU Update: SUSF Hosts First Team Meeting to prepare for Shenzhen

Thomas Mörgeli, Head of the Swiss delegation, with some of the team officials

SWITSERLAND – Exactly 259 days before the opening of the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, the leading team of the Swiss delegation had a first meeting with all team leaders of the different sports.

Thomas Mörgeli, Head of Delegation, Fredi Schneider, responsible for high-performance sport in the Swiss University Sports Federation as well as the other members of the leading team gave a special introduction to the new team leaders that had never attended a Universiade before. They were informed about the specialties and challenges of such a big multi-sport event as the Universiade. This introduction was followed by a general and detailed ‘question and answer’-session. Questions concerning the selection of the athletes, the travel to Shenzhen, the competition schedule, the Athletes’ Village as well as the team equipment were answered.

The HoD and its assistants will attend the HoD meeting in April and hopefully come back with much new information then.

During the last part of the meeting, the team got the chance to follow a very interesting and enthralling presentation held by Leo Held. He was Swiss Coach of the Year 2008 and is the former personal coach of Sergei Aschwanden, the Swiss Bronze Medallist winner in Judo at the 2008 Bejing Olympics. He gave a very detailed and personal insight in his relation to the athlete and the work that was necessary to achieve the goal of winning an Olympic Medal, especially after two unsuccessful attempts in Sydney and Athens. It was a perfect preparation of the Swiss Team for the Universiade, which will hopefully be equally successful for us as the Olympics were for Sergei Aschwanden. It’s now the athletes who have to qualify for the Games with strong performances.

(Source: Martina Gasner, SUSF Media Officer)

Successful Swiss fencers made Leonz Eder, Managing Director of SUSF and FISU Assessor, happy in Belgrade… also in Shenzhen?