Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade Draws to Successful Close in Style

High-quality fields of play, record-setting performances and exceptional spectator support made for a Summer Universiade to remember as the torch is passed to Napoli on the 70th anniversary of FISU’s founding 

 The Summer Universiade in Napoli will follow in the footsteps of last summer’s spectacular event in Taipei

TAIPEI – At the end of an exceptional Closing Ceremony in Taipei Stadium, the 29^th Summer Universiade drew to a successful close earlier this evening. The ceremony marked the end of an outstanding 12 days of sport, education and culture. 7,376 athletes from 134 countries competed in 271 medal events over 21 sports.

“Our student athletes came here to Taipei from all over the world. And when they came to train and compete, they found excellent conditions for sport,” FISU President Oleg Matytsin said.

 With FISU President Matytsin’s assistance, the FISU flag is passed from Taipei2017 to Napoli2019, the upcoming Summer Universiade host

Key among those conditions, athletes found exceptional spectator support. 83% of tickets (more than 700,000) were sold. This represented a new development in terms of the host city’s appreciation for live international sports events.

Taipei 2017 Chief Executive Su Li-chiung explained: “Countless people bought tickets to watch the games, which people in Taipei don’t usually do. The overwhelming cheering from the audience was also a great motivator for the athletes.”

Benefitting from high-quality fields of play and exceptional spectator support were the athletes that included many Rio 2016 Olympic champions. Two world records were broken, in archery and weightlifting. In the men’s javelin competition, both the winning and second place throws would have comfortably won gold at the recent IAAF London 2017 world championships.

 The energy within Taipei Stadium with the athletes was electric on closing night to the 29th Summer Universiade

“The best performances happen when there is a crowd filled with passion to lift up the athletes,” President Matytsin said. “That is exactly what FISU found for every sport in Taipei. The crowds had a great knowledge of sport. They made so much noise for the athlete in first place. And they made the same noise for the athlete in last place.”

Andreas Hofmann (Germany), who threw a world-leading javelin personal best only to find himself lose out on Universiade gold by 29 centimetres, said: “It was crazy. The competition, the result and the experience I had competing here were great, just great.”

Other records broken at Taipei 2017 included those related to organisation. More than 300 hours of coverage were broadcast to more than 100 countries, while live streaming brought in over a million viewers to a single game of volleyball that was featured as a `Facebook live event on FISU’s fan page. The Bravo bear mascot sold out, as more than US $ 1 million of merchandising was sold.

In Taipei, roller sports were added to the FISU programme for the first time 

In addition to the sports competitions, Taipei 2017 featured cultural activities and also educational programmes aimed at helping today’s student athletes become tomorrow’s leaders. The programmes notably included athlete dual career seminars.

Speaking at the Closing Ceremony to a sold out crowd of 22,500 at Taipei Stadium, President Matytsin said: “The athletes who are here now go will go on to be the leaders of tomorrow, I am sure they will remember the lessons they have learned here. They will have learnt from the values of sport and also from Taipei’s values.”

The lights might have dimmed in Taipei Stadium, but the spirit and energy of the 29th Summer Universiade pulses throughout the city and campus life of the island