Day 1 at the FISU Executive Committee Meetings in Taipei

The biannual meeting where the efforts, directions and decisions of the univesity sporting movement are decided

 

 

 

TAIPEI CITY – With four days to go until the start of the Taipei Summer Universiade, the FISU Executive Committee met for their traditional meeting on the eve of the event. The 28 member strong committee led by FISU President Oleg Matytsin exchanged views and outlined the future steps the Federation will take within the university sports movement.

 

 

With the Taipei Athletes’ Village filling up and the countdown to the Universiade in its final stages, presentations and remarks from the Committee Members concentrated on how FISU and the local organising committee were working together to deliver a successful Summer Universiade.

 

President Matytsin during his opening address to his fellow EC Members 

Matytsin opened the event with kind words to his fellow Executive Committee members. He expressed the view that the room was full of a unique combination of experience and energy – one aptly capable of growing university sports around the world, even as the sports world navigate news global challenges.

 

 

“I believe everybody will find new ideas. I wish you all the best. Enjoy the sports and city of Taipei, and being here with your FISU family,” Matytsin said before handing the floor over to the Summer Universiade sports team.

 

 

 

FISU summer team reports on Taipei’s readiness to host the Universiade

 

Marc Vandenplas (centre) and the Summer Universiade team reported on the key functional areas of the 2017 Universiade 

Summer Universiade director Marc Vandenplas led the five-member FISU Summer Sports team in a punctual and precise, but thorough review of Taipei’s readiness to hold 271 international-level medal events with some 7,900 competitors over the upcoming 12 days.

 

 

Since the start of June, Vandenplas has had team members and technical delegates consistently on the ground in the environs in and around Taipei, assessing the host’s readiness to host the Universiade.

 

 

“What we have seen is a great progress and professionalism with all the test events and simulations,” Vandenplas said.

 

 

With the final preparations mainly focused on putting final overlays and placing in technical equipment at the temporary venues, Vandenplas said that, “weather conditions pose the greatest risk. Of course, if we have a typhoon during the SU, this will result in some contingency planning. Fortunately, we have extensively studied how we would respond to an event like this.”

 

 

 

 

 

Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade Progress Report

 

 As CEO of the Taipei University Organising Committee, Li-chiung Su is set to welcome the world to her city

After expressing what hosting the Summer Universiade meant to their country, the Taipei OC members showed this passion in action with highlights from the Taipei Torch Relay’s.

 

 

The FISU flame started its journey with an ignition in the Universiade’s birthplace of Torino, Italy and visited three other countries before starting on a 22-stage domestic relay around the island.

 

 

Li-chiung Su, CEO of the Taipei University Organising Committee, led the OC’s four-person presentation. She was joined by Deputy CEOs Shih-ming You and Chun-Ming Hseuh, and FISU Executive Committee Member Chen Tai-cheng.

 

 

After earning the right to host the SU 2017 six years ago, the Taipei OC outlined over 800 milestones they saw as necessary to execute a successful Universiade with a strong and lasting legacy. When the torch enters Taipei Stadium on 19 August to officially start the Universiade, a symbolic and key milestone will be realized.  

 

Part of Taipei’s lasting legacy on the world of multiday, multisport events could be an innovative approach to providing world-class training and competition venues. The OC turned to 14 local universities and renovated 53 venues to provide athletes the high international standards.

 

 

Only two venues were purpose-built for the Universiade and the possibility of these becoming white elephants within Taipei City looks slight. The new Taipei Tennis Center is expected to be used in future ATP and WTA events and the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium will be an elite-level indoor venue suitable for multiple sports following its use within the Universiade’s basketball competition.

 

As a Federation, FISU moves under one roof in 2018

 

 Eric Saintrond spoke about how FISU would move the Brussels office to Lausanne, and other items

With the dual-title as FISU CEO and Secretary General, Eric Saintrond delivered a detailed, point-by-point rundown of the ongoing projects and decisions. This included the closing of the Brussels office and bringing FISU under one roof in Lausanne.

 

 

FISU will be moving onto the Universite de Lausanne campus in early 2018. The Federation will share the still-under-construction building with AISTS, the world’s No. 1 Sports Management programme in the world.

 

 

Inauguration of FISU’s new headquarters is slated for 2-3 March during the next Executive Committee meetings.

 

 

 

FISU Global Strategy 2027

  

Initiated in March 2016, FISU presented the completed work that outlines the Federation’s strategic goals and vision of how to get there to EC Members before rolling it out publically at the General Assembly in two days’ time.

 

 

The strategy documents outline how FISU looks to position itself within crowded world sport marketplace as the only global organization dedicated to putting on sports events for students.

 

 

“It is just a paper before we start its actions,” said FISU’s Lilia Barieva, who presented the project. “We will have on-going discussions on this document for the next ten years.”

 

 

Checking in on the Progress of Lucerne Winter Universiade 2021

 

Managing Director Urs Hunkeler outlined the progress that the region around Lucerne had made, particularly in competition venue planning 

Led by Managing Director Urs Hunkeler, the Lucerne 2021 Organising Committee presented the second progress report on beginning to execute their plan. Hunkeler and company are set to deliver the Winter Universiade in Central Switzerland in just over three year’s time.

 

FISU First Vice-President Leonz Eder (L) and Regula Schweizer are part of the Lucerne 2021 leadership that is fronted by Urs Hunkeler 

During the bidding phase Lucerne presented an innovative Universiade concept based on sport “clusters” that take advantage of unique winter sports heritage in different Swiss cities. Spread between six regions in the compact mountainous country – with sports like biathlon in the mountain military town of Realp and hockey in the lower, less snowy cities of Zug and Sursee – showcase the heart of the Alps. While it might sound spread out, all the competition venues are within a half hour’s drive from the host city of Lucerne.

 

 

Winter Universiade host Almaty bids adieu

 

 Part of the Almaty delegation in Taipei City, led by their Director General, Nail Nurov (third from right)

For 11 days this past winter, the Kazakhstan city of Almaty was host a most widely watched Winter Universiade ever, with a cumulative global broadcast audience of 370 million. Participants and officials raved about both the quality of the venues and the high-level of university competitions. All told Almaty, the City of Apples, held 12 sports and awarded 85 medal events.

 

 

The Almaty delegation currently in Taipei City to deliver their final reports is ten strong, and is led by Director General Nail Nurov. The meetings finished in the evening on their highest note as Nurov walked across the conference center to present President Matytsin with tokens of appreciation from the Winter hosts.

 Almaty 2017 Director General Nail Nurov presents Oleg Matytsin with gifts to end the evening’s discussions and proceedings