FISU returns to Napoli for SU 2019 inspection visits

NAPOLI — For six days and nights, FISU was in regional capital of Campania for another inspection visit of the facilities set to play host to the world’s finest student-athletes at the 30th Summer Universiade, which is scheduled to take place from 3-14 July 2019.

After the dust settled last Friday, the depth and range of topics bears mentioning. All told, there were 24 individual technical meetings dealing in the areas of sport, technology and workforce for the premiere event that combines high-performance sport with athletes who also concurrently follow their intellectual pursuits.

On the sporting front, FISU and Napoli 2019 organisers monitored and surveyed progress in the eight sports disciplines of Athletics, Basketball, Diving, Fencing, Rugby Sevens, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, and Shooting Sports. 

According to the general sentiment of the FISU Summer Universiade International Technical Committee members present, the inspections went smoothly, with national sport federation representatives and competition managers on site, when available.

  “All the Functional Areas have to work with one common goal, to serve the sport, which is the core of the Universiade,” said Roberto Outeirino, Napoli 2019 Sport and Operations Director.

All told, there were 24 individual technical meetings dealing in the areas of sport, technology and workforce took place last week in Napoli

Joining Mr. Outeirino during the meetings from the organising committee side were: Francesco Massidda, senior advisor to Extraordinary Commissioner of the Napoli 2019 Organising Committee, Luise Latella; and Annapaola Voto, the organising committee’s Institutional Relations Director.

The FISU Delegation was led by Summer Universiade Director Marc Vandenplas and Summer Universiade International Technical Committee chair Jean-Paul Clemencon, along with Summer Universaide Deputy Director Jing Zhao, Summer Universiade Sport Assistant Brian Carrer, and the FISU technical committee members for Athletics, Diving, Basketball and Table Tennis. Alan Shaw, president of epic, a strategic planning firm that specialises in providing customised operational solutions for large-scale sporting events, was also present.

Mr. Vandenplas expressed his trust in both the FISU technical committee team and the Italian national sports federation members working on Napoli 2019, stating: “We are very confident regarding the sport specific organisation.”

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

The FISU Summer Sport Director also noted that infrastructure updating is underway, but faces time pressure. “One of the biggest challenges is the venue renovation works, as all the venues have some (work) to be done, and this must be done on a short timeframe.”

On the city itself, Vandenplas was enthused: “Naples is a city with a great university and sporting tradition, as well as one of great hospitality, and it has everything that’s needed to host a special edition of the Universiade.”

FISU will return to Napoli again in late May with FISU Secretary General Eric Saintrond for more meetings on Summer Universiade preparations.

 By Torin Koos, FISU Media Manager