FISU moves 2013 Winter Universiade away from Maribor to safeguard the 26th Edition

LAUSANNE – As you might have heard from various media, the situation of the 2013 Winter Universiade in Maribor (SLO) has been faced with difficulties for several months.

In October 2011, there was no denying that there were serious delays in the construction of the sports infrastructures necessary for the organization of the games. As a consequence, the Organizing Committee was requested to present a new organization plan to the FISU Executive Committee, which met inBrusselson November 28th, 2011.

The new plan was approved by the governing body of FISU.

However, during a working session held inMariboron January 26th, 2012, we clearly saw that there were new defaults in the organization of the Winter Universiade. Consequently, the Organizing Committee was requested to confirm its engagements within three weeks, by providing the FISU Steering Committee guarantees concerning the organization of the Games no later than February 15th, 2012.

On February 15th, we were notified that the meeting of the Organizing Committee, initially scheduled on February 16th, has to be postponed to March 1st, 2012. This implied that no response could be given to the FISU Steering Committee before that date.

Meanwhile, on February 16th, 2012, we got the information from the press that the Government of the Republic of Slovenia was no longer financially supporting the project of the 2013 Winter Universiade in Maribor. On February 17th, we received a letter from the President of the Organizing Committee, in which he announced the collective resignation of the Organizing Committee of the 2013 Winter Universiade, as well as its liquidation.

Therefore, during its meeting held on February 18th, the FISU Steering Committee decided to present the partners of the organization of the 2013 Winter Universiade, i.e. the city of Maribor and the Slovene University Sports Association (SUSA), with an ultimatum for them to confirm their engagement, as stipulated in the attribution contract, as well as the organization of the Winter Universiade in Maribor and in Slovenia.

When the ultimatum expired on March 2nd, 2012, FISU had received no response from the partners of the 2013 Winter Universiade. It was therefore decided to submit the transfer of the organization of the 2013 Games to another location to the voting members of the FISU Executive Committee, who unanimously approved the proposal on March 5th, 2012.

FISU will definitely refer a case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport inLausanne, in accordance with Article 16 of the attribution contract, in order to seek redress for non-compliance with the contractual obligations.