Summer Universiade 2023 goes to Ekaterinburg!

Russia’s ‘3rd capital’ will host the 32nd Summer Universiade in 2023. FISU EC members elected the Russian city during the federation’s biannual meeting with an unanimous vote

NAPOLI — With one day remaining until more than 6,000 athletes march into San Paulo Stadium to officially open Summer Universiade 2019, the event’s future two editions were secured during second and final day of the FISU Executive Committee meeting. This ensures the future of university sport’s crowning event for at least the next four years.

Following the bid city’s presentation, the FISU Executive Committee granted the 32nd Summer Universiade to Ekaterinburg with a 23-0 vote in favour.

FISU President Oleg Matytsin delivered the news: “Officially we make the decision to attribute the Summer Universiade 2023 to Ekaterinburg. Congratulations!”

Matytsin’s words were met with smiles and celebrations from Ekaterinburg’s representatives and FISU executive leaders alike. And for good reason: the recent experience of Kazan 2013 and Krasnoyarsk 2019 hosting the summer and winter Universiades has shown the country to be a reliable university sports partner and experienced event host.

Ekaterinburg looks poised as an ideal continuation of this pattern. As a sporting city, it has held public events, national championships, Champions League matches and was one of the 2018 FIFA World Cup host venues.

Media operations at Summer Universiade 2023 will benefit especially from these previous events, as the International Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre are already in place, full equipped and successfully stress-tested during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia ™, and contributing to that event’s legacy.

Ekaterinburg 2023’s sports programme will incorporate FISU’s 15 compulsory sports: archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball, diving, fencing, football, judo, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball, waterpolo.

Universiade host cities may also present up to three optional sports for inclusion into that edition of the Universiade today. Ekaterinburg presented boxing, rugby sevens and sambo for the 2023 event. The FISU executive committee unanimously accepted all three.

The Ekaterinburg bid presented the city as compact hub, where training and competition for all 18 sports would take place across 28 venues. Twenty of these venues are currently in place and home to sports activity. Of the eight anticipated additional venues, only one would be purpose-built in anticipation of the Summer Universiade.

“This development is part of the city’s central development plan,” said 2023 bid director general, Alexander Chernov. “These sports complexes will be built whether or not you attribute the games to Ekaterinburg, but, of course, we hope you do.”

During the attribution celebration, FISU President Oleg Matytsin had the following to say about the successful Summer Universiade 2023: “Once again, my congratulations to the city of Ekaterinburg. And to you, too, the team behind the bid that has made today’s announcement a reality today. The passion you show for student sport will certainly shine through in just over four year’s time. This will, I am sure, create the perfect atmosphere for the rest university athletes in the world.”

University attendee and Russian national team wrestler Alexandra Andreeva delivered a moving speech about what hosting the 32nd Summer Universiade would mean for the city, students and sports persons of Ekaterinburg