Ekaterinburg steps up bid to host Summer Universiade 2023

A high-level delegation visited the FISU Headquarters in Lausanne to start the formal process

LAUSANNE, 10 April – A delegation from the Russian city of Ekaterinburg led by Evgeny Kuyvashev, Governor of the Sverdlovsk region, visited the FISU offices in Lausanne to throw weight behind their bid to host the Summer Universiade in 2023.

The formal notice of the city’s intention to bid was received by FISU President Oleg Matytsin on the eve of the Krasnoyarsk 2019 Winter Universiade in March this year, following which the FISU Executive Committee had met and considered the proposal.

After a series of meetings over two days, which included going through the bidding procedures as well as presentation of the bidding concept, FISU Secretary General-CEO Eric Saintrond said, “We had a fantastic Winter Universiade in Krasnoyarsk, perhaps the best edition ever and we also had a very good discussion with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. At FISU, our philosophy is to work together with potential host cities to ensure the best possible bid and games.”

During the meetings, the First Deputy Governor of the region, Alexey Orlov, presented the sports infrastructure that already exists in Ekaterinburg and mentioned that the plan would be to use 19 sport venues, of which only six would require construction.

“We hope that Ekaterinburg will receive the status of host city,” he said. “In just the last few years, we have held international competitions in many sports like volleyball, kyokushin karate and basketball, among others.”

A delegation from Ekaterinburg, led by Governor of the Sverdlovsk region Evgeny Kuyvashev, in Lausanne to visit the FISU Headquarters Ekaterinburg is one of Russia’s largest cities, often called the ‘third capital’, with a population of just over 1.5 million. The FISU leadership was assured of maximum support from the Russian Federal Government at the highest level, with guarantees to be signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.  

Governor Evgeny Kuyvashev said, “Cooperation with the International University Sports Federation and presenting our application to host the 2023 Summer Universiade in Ekaterinburg is a great honour for us. The Sverdlovsk region is one of the most sports-friendly regions in Russia. Annually we host more than 30 large-scale international competitions. I hope that our efforts and preparedness to host the Universiade at the highest level will be appreciated.”

“This bid is very important to us as this Universiade will benefit us in many ways,” he continued. “Most importantly, the students that participate this event will be future leaders of society and business. It’s not just about sport but a way for us to promote the region of Ekaterinburg as well.”

Russia last staged the Summer Universiade in 2013, when Kazan was the host city and the Winter Universiade in March 2019 in Krasnoyarsk. The delegation included Head of Ekaterinburg Alexander Vysokinsky and the Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of Sverdlovsk region, Leonid Rapoport.

FISU President Oleg Matytsin summed up the two-day meeting by saying, “This was a very positive interaction between the highest representatives from the Sverdlovsk region and the FISU leadership. We have seen before in Kazan, and more recently in Krasnoyarsk, the level of organization and execution that we can expect from Russia. We look forward to working closely with them during the bidding process and the FISU Executive Committee will take a final decision in July, just before the Napoli 2019 Summer Universiade. I wish our friends from Ekaterinburg all the best in this process and pledge our full support to them.”

Governor of Sverdlovsk region Evgeny Kuyvashev and FISU President Oleg Matytsin exchange gifts