Winter Universiade 2021 welcomes Stoos as alpine skiing host venue

· Alpine Skiing Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade will compete on expert-level slopes just across the lake from the athletes’ village

· Franz Heinzer Piste will hold Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, Alpine combined disciplines

· Parallel Mixed Team Event will take place inside the village of Stoos

STOOS, SWITZERLAND – “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” Mike Tyson famously said before a heavyweight boxing world title bout. 

Since spoken, the words have echoed beyond the ring. And for good reason: it’s how one reacts to adversity that defines them, not the adversity itself. 

Organisers of the Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade must have had the feeling of gut-punch luck in mid-August when Hoch-Ybrig would no longer be the event’s alpine skiing host. 

Now organisers can breathe in some more fresh mountain air. After 59 years — and 28 event editions — since the Winter Universiade was in Switzerland, the world’s sports elite return to the heart of the Alps. With alpine skiing’s roots in the region, the discipline is compulsory to the event, which runs from the 21-31 January 2021. 

Fortunately, the Lucerne 2021 organisers kept at it. They didn’t let the initial outcome define their planning. And today, they were rewarded as the alpine skiing competitions of the Winter Universiade 2021 will be held in Stoos. 

Lucerne 2021 Winter Universiade Managing Director Urs Hunkeler delighted in the news.

“Stoos is an excellent solution for us. On the one hand, it is an attractive ski resort, and on the other, we can count on a strong and experienced team.”

Classically situated in Central Switzerland

Talk about traveling to the event in style: competitors and crowds will be whisked up to the alpine village via the world’s steepest funicularSitting on the eastern shores of Lake Lucerne, Stoos is quintessential Central Switzerland. From the water’s edge, Stoos rises 743 metres of altitude. Competitors and crowds will be whisked away to the mountain village and adjacent ski resort in just over four minutes by the world’s steepest funicular. From Stoos, the alpine venue peaks out at 1,935 metres atop the Klingenstock chairlift.

Deep sports roots among the local organising committee

The newly-formed local organising committee in Stoos is led by Peter Föhn, Schwyz State Council Member and president of the 2019 Swiss Alpine Skiing Championships. Ueli Pfyl joins the event as alpine skiing’s chief of competition. The local railway company, Stoosbahnen AG, will provide event infrastructure.

Steep competition slopes named after World Cup-winning local legend

Enhancing the choice of Stoos is the venue’s compact competition, where the Franz Heinzer Piste can handle the disciplines of Super-G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, and Alpine combined. Named after the legendary area local who won three consecutive World Cup Downhill titles (1991, 1992, 1993), the venue is a frequent proving grounds for national team-level speed discipline skiers. Outside of competitions and training times, the slope is open to the public — at least those venturous enough to take on the steep piste that zooms directly down the valley.

The Parallel Mixed Team Event takes place in town

The only event not set to take place on this slope is the Parallel Mixed Team Event, which will be held as an evening event on the Maggiweld piste in the village’s immediate vicinity . “We have reached the conclusion that we can organise excellent ski races here for the Winter Universiade 2021,” Föhn said about the Franz Heinzer and Maggiweld pistes. 

No matter the season, Stoos and the communities that surround Lake Lucerne make for a stunning outdoor setting 

The venues of Winter Universiade 2021 

With the designation of Stoos as the alpine skiing venue, the locations and sports facilities for the Winter Universiade 2021 are now fully defined. The event is comprised of ten sports disciplines across seven competition venues.

Stoos to live up to the peak Swiss ski experience

Having just spent last week in Lucerne visiting the competition venues with FISU Winter Universiade International Technical Committee members, FISU director Milan Augustin noted the strength in the local organising committee making in choosing Stoos. 

“Skiing is at the heart of Swiss Alps experience, and Stoos is no exception. It’s an impressive ski resort, led by a team of experienced professionals who know how to put on a top-notch event,” Augustin said. “The student-athletes competing at the 30th Winter Universiades will do so on the highest-quality venues. The Franz Heinzer Piste and Maggiweld competition slope in Stoos certainly live up to the international level of the Winter Universiade.”

Added Roger Roth, FISU’s technical committee chair: “The venue absolutely fits into the FISU spirit of what we’re after with the Winter Universiade. The student-athletes will put on a great show for the fans, and I am sure there will be a great ambience in the mountains.

“From Stoos to Engelberg to Jochpass ski resorts, this is a region that lives and breathes snow sports. For the FISU Family that comes to Lucerne, they’ll be ample opportunity to carve some turns.”